CVE-2026-78989 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Out of bounds read in ANGLE in Google Chrome on on Windows prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker to potentially 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 as an out-of-bounds read within the ANGLE graphics library in Google Chrome represents a critical memory safety flaw that undermines the browser's core isolation mechanisms. ANGLE serves as the translation layer between web applications and native GPU drivers, converting OpenGL ES commands into DirectX or Vulkan calls to ensure cross-platform compatibility. When processing crafted HTML pages containing specific WebGL content, the application fails to properly validate array indices or buffer boundaries before accessing memory locations within this library. This lack of rigorous bounds checking allows a remote attacker to trigger an out-of-bounds read operation, where the browser attempts to access data at a memory address that lies outside the intended allocation limits.
From a technical perspective, this flaw is classified under CWE-125, which denotes Out-of-Bounds Read vulnerabilities. The security severity of this issue is rated as High by Chromium standards because it directly impacts the integrity and confidentiality of user data while potentially facilitating further exploitation chains. Although an out-of-bounds read typically results in information disclosure rather than immediate code execution, modern browser architectures are complex ecosystems where such memory errors can be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution. By carefully crafting the input to control what is read from outside the buffer boundaries, an attacker may leak sensitive internal structures or pointers that reside in adjacent memory regions. This leaked information can then be used to bypass security mitigations and gain a foothold within the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage due to its potential for privilege escalation relative to the browser sandbox. Google Chrome employs a multi-process architecture where renderer processes are heavily restricted by operating-system-level sandboxes designed to prevent malicious code from interacting with the host file system or other sensitive resources. However, if an attacker successfully exploits this out-of-bounds read to leak critical memory addresses and subsequently chains it with another vulnerability such as a use-after-free or type confusion flaw, they can achieve arbitrary code execution outside of these sandbox constraints. This effectively breaks the isolation boundary that protects users from malicious web content, allowing full control over the underlying operating system on Windows systems running versions prior to 152.0.7977.65.
In terms of threat modeling and attack classification, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers Exploitation for Client Execution. The attacker utilizes a crafted HTML page as the initial vector, relying on social engineering or drive-by download tactics to lure users into visiting malicious sites. Once executed within the browser context, the exploit attempts to escape the sandbox environment, moving from client-side execution to system-level compromise. This progression highlights the importance of robust memory safety in libraries like ANGLE that handle low-level graphics operations, as errors here can have disproportionate security consequences compared to higher-level application logic flaws.
To mitigate this risk, organizations and individual users must ensure that Google Chrome is updated to version 152.0.7977.65 or later immediately upon availability. This update contains the necessary patches for ANGLE to enforce strict bounds checking during memory access operations related to WebGL rendering contexts. Additionally, administrators should consider implementing browser hardening policies such as disabling JavaScript in untrusted zones if feasible, although this significantly impacts usability. Regular patch management cycles are essential to address these types of vulnerabilities promptly, as zero-day exploits targeting out-of-bounds errors in graphics libraries are frequently observed in the wild by advanced persistent threat actors seeking initial access points within corporate networks.