CVE-2026-78948 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2026
Buffer overflow in WebGL in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/25/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-8399 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the WebGL implementation of Google Chrome prior to version 152.0.7977.65. This flaw resides in the browser's graphics rendering engine, which is responsible for handling complex graphical operations via the Web Graphics Library API. The specific nature of this vulnerability involves improper memory management during the processing of crafted HTML content that triggers WebGL commands. When a remote attacker hosts or distributes a malicious webpage containing specially constructed code designed to exploit this buffer overflow, they can cause the application to write data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory buffers. This out-of-bounds write operation corrupts adjacent memory structures, potentially overwriting critical control data such as return addresses or function pointers within the browser process space.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for arbitrary code execution outside the security sandbox. Modern web browsers employ a multi-process architecture with strict sandboxes designed to isolate untrusted content from sensitive system resources and user data. However, by exploiting this buffer overflow in WebGL, an attacker can bypass these containment mechanisms. Once the memory corruption allows for control flow hijacking or arbitrary write primitives, the attacker gains the ability to execute malicious code with the privileges of the browser process. This effectively breaks the isolation model that protects users from web-based attacks, allowing for full system compromise if the user is running a privileged instance of the browser or if additional exploitation techniques are chained together to escalate privileges further.
This vulnerability aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) category CWE-120, which describes Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input Classic Buffer Overflow. The root cause lies in the failure of the WebGL implementation to properly validate input sizes before copying data into fixed-size buffers or heap allocations. Furthermore, from a tactical standpoint related to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this exploit scenario maps to T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution and potentially T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter if the executed code involves scripting languages commonly used in post-exploitation phases. The ability to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox also touches upon techniques associated with process injection or memory corruption exploitation strategies detailed under T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation, depending on how the attacker leverages the initial foothold within the browser context.
Mitigation of this vulnerability requires immediate action by updating Google Chrome to version 152.0.7977.65 or later, where these memory management issues have been addressed through improved bounds checking and input validation routines in the WebGL subsystem. Organizations should enforce automated update policies for all endpoints running affected browser versions to ensure that patches are applied promptly upon release. Additionally, users can employ defense-in-depth strategies such as enabling site isolation features within Chrome settings, which further restricts cross-origin data access and limits the blast radius of any potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also monitor network traffic for indicators of compromise associated with known WebGL-based exploit kits and consider deploying browser application whitelisting or content security policies to mitigate risks from untrusted web sources until all systems are fully patched.