CVE-2026-78901 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Race condition in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as a race condition within the V8 JavaScript engine of Google Chrome prior to version 152.0.7977.65 represents a critical flaw in memory management and synchronization mechanisms during script execution. Race conditions occur when software performs operations out of order or fails to properly synchronize access to shared resources, leading to unpredictable behavior that can be exploited by malicious actors. In the context of V8, this specific race condition likely involves improper handling of object states or garbage collection processes while concurrent threads are accessing or modifying those objects. This lack of atomicity allows an attacker to manipulate the internal state of JavaScript objects in a way that bypasses standard security checks and memory safety boundaries enforced by the browser sandbox.
From a technical perspective, this flaw falls under the category of CWE-362, which defines concurrent execution using shared resources with bad synchronization leading to race conditions. The exploitation vector typically involves crafting an HTML page containing malicious JavaScript code designed to trigger specific timing windows where V8 fails to lock or properly validate object references before proceeding with operations such as property access or method invocation. By carefully controlling the execution flow and memory allocation patterns, a remote attacker can cause type confusion or use-after-free scenarios within the engine's heap management system. These low-level memory corruption issues are particularly dangerous because they allow for arbitrary code execution by overwriting function pointers or manipulating object headers to point to malicious shellcode located in adjacent memory regions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it enables a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the browser's sandboxed environment. While modern browsers employ multiple layers of defense such as site isolation and hardware-level protections like Control Flow Integrity (CFI), successfully exploiting a race condition in V8 can potentially lead to sandbox escape if subsequent vulnerabilities are chained or if specific configuration weaknesses exist. This means that simply visiting a malicious website could result in the compromise of the user's system, leading to data theft, installation of malware, or full system takeover depending on the privileges under which the browser is running. The Chromium security team has classified this issue with a medium severity rating, reflecting its potential for exploitation but also acknowledging the existing mitigations that may raise the bar for successful attacks in most standard configurations.
This vulnerability aligns with several tactics and techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to initial access and execution via web-based vectors. Attackers often leverage such vulnerabilities through drive-by downloads or malicious advertisements embedded in legitimate websites, requiring no user interaction beyond visiting a compromised page. The use of crafted HTML pages serves as the primary delivery mechanism for the exploit code, which is then interpreted by V8. To mitigate this risk, users and administrators must ensure that Google Chrome is updated to version 152.0.7977.65 or later immediately upon availability. Additionally, organizations should enforce strict content security policies and consider deploying browser isolation solutions to further reduce the attack surface presented by web-based vulnerabilities. Regular patching cycles are essential as race conditions in complex engines like V8 can be difficult to detect without extensive fuzzing and formal verification methods employed during development.