CVE-2026-78952 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Out of bounds write in Crashpad in Google Chrome on on Windows prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process 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 • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified in Crashpad, the crash reporting component utilized by Google Chrome on Windows prior to version 152.0.7977.65, represents a critical out-of-bounds write condition that undermines the browser's sandboxing architecture. This flaw is particularly severe because it allows for arbitrary code execution outside of the restricted renderer process environment. The root cause lies in improper memory management within the Crashpad handler, where input data derived from a crafted HTML page triggers a buffer overflow. When an attacker hosts or directs a victim to such a malicious webpage, they can manipulate specific parameters passed to the crash reporting mechanism. These manipulated inputs exceed the allocated bounds of internal buffers used for storing crash metadata or stack traces. Because this memory corruption occurs within a component that often operates with elevated privileges relative to the renderer process, it provides a direct path for privilege escalation and sandbox escape.
From an operational perspective, the impact of this vulnerability is profound as it effectively neutralizes one of Chrome's primary defense-in-depth mechanisms: the multi-process architecture with strict sandboxes. The renderer processes are designed to be untrusted and isolated from sensitive system resources and user data. By exploiting this out-of-bounds write, a remote attacker who has already compromised or influenced the renderer process can execute arbitrary code in the context of the more privileged browser utility process or even the main browser process. This capability allows for full control over the victim's machine, including the installation of malware, theft of sensitive credentials stored by the browser, and further lateral movement within a network environment. The severity is classified as High because it facilitates remote code execution with minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious site, assuming standard browsing habits are followed without additional security plugins or strict content policies that might block such payloads.
This vulnerability aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) category CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, which describes writing data to a memory location outside the intended buffer boundaries. The exploitation technique leverages this weakness to achieve arbitrary code execution, mapping directly to MITRE ATT&CK techniques such as T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter for executing malicious commands within the compromised environment, and potentially T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution if the attack vector relies on client-side rendering engines. The specific context of escaping a sandboxed process highlights the importance of robust input validation and bounds checking in all components that interact with untrusted data sources, even those primarily intended for diagnostic purposes like crash reporting.
Mitigation strategies focus heavily on timely patching and architectural hardening. Users must upgrade Google Chrome to version 152.0.7977.65 or later immediately upon availability, as this update contains the necessary code fixes that enforce strict boundary checks during memory allocation and data handling within Crashpad. For enterprise environments, implementing application whitelisting can restrict the execution of unauthorized binaries even if an attacker gains a foothold through such vulnerabilities. Additionally, deploying advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions with behavioral analysis capabilities can help identify anomalous process creation or memory access patterns indicative of sandbox escape attempts. Security teams should also ensure that browser settings are configured to block potentially dangerous content types and restrict permissions for untrusted sites to minimize the attack surface available to remote attackers attempting to leverage this flaw.