CVE-2026-79057 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Race condition in Start in Google Chrome on on Android prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a local attacker leveraging social engineering to potentially execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a co-installed app. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-3811 represents a critical race condition within the Start component of Google Chrome for Android, specifically affecting versions prior to 152.0.7977.65. This flaw stems from improper synchronization mechanisms when handling concurrent operations during application initialization or state transitions. In typical software architecture, particularly in mobile environments where multiple applications may interact with shared system resources or browser states, ensuring atomicity of critical sections is paramount. The race condition arises because the Start component fails to properly serialize access to certain internal data structures or security contexts. This lack of synchronization creates a narrow but exploitable window during which an attacker can manipulate the state of the application before it has fully established its secure context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability allows for potential arbitrary code execution outside the browser sandbox, which is a significant escalation from typical web-based attacks. Normally, Chrome relies on strict sandboxing to isolate web content and prevent malicious scripts from accessing sensitive system resources or user data. However, by leveraging social engineering techniques, an attacker can induce a victim to interact with a crafted environment that triggers this race condition. The attack vector involves co-installed applications on the device, which suggests that if another app is present on the same Android instance, it may be able to influence the timing of Chrome's startup sequence or state management. This interaction allows the malicious code to bypass sandbox boundaries and execute with higher privileges than intended by the browser security model.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-362, which describes concurrent execution using shared resources with improper synchronization. The exploitation technique also maps to MITRE ATT&CK tactics involving privilege escalation and defense evasion, specifically through techniques that abuse system processes or application states to bypass isolation mechanisms. The medium severity rating assigned by the Chromium security team reflects the complexity of the exploit, which requires both local access via social engineering and specific environmental conditions such as co-installed apps, but acknowledges the high impact due to sandbox escape capabilities.
Mitigation for this vulnerability primarily involves updating Google Chrome on Android devices to version 152.0.7977.65 or later, where these synchronization issues have been addressed by developers through improved locking mechanisms and state validation checks during the startup process. Users should ensure that automatic updates are enabled to receive security patches promptly. Additionally, while social engineering is a prerequisite for this specific attack vector, maintaining general cybersecurity hygiene such as avoiding installation of untrusted applications can reduce the risk of triggering similar vulnerabilities in other software components. Security administrators should monitor device compliance and enforce application allow-listing policies where feasible to limit the potential impact of co-installed malicious apps that might attempt to exploit timing-based flaws in system or browser processes.