CVE-2026-79118 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Uninitialized resource in ANGLE in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker to obtain cross-origin data 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 uninitialized resource issue within the ANGLE graphics library, which is integrated into Google Chrome prior to version 152.0.7977.65, represents a significant memory safety flaw with direct implications for browser isolation and data confidentiality. ANGLE serves as the translation layer between web applications' OpenGL ES calls and native platform graphics APIs such as DirectX or Metal on Windows and macOS. When this library processes specific graphical commands triggered by maliciously crafted HTML pages containing WebGL content, it fails to properly initialize certain internal resources before they are accessed or utilized. This lack of initialization means that memory locations may contain stale data from previous operations rather than being set to a known safe state, creating an opportunity for information leakage through side channels or direct memory reads depending on the specific execution path taken by the renderer process.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns with CWE-457, which describes the use of an uninitialized variable. In the context of browser security architecture, such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can bypass standard sandboxing mechanisms if the uninitialized data allows for out-of-bounds reads or arbitrary memory disclosures that leak sensitive information across process boundaries. The Chromium project has classified this issue with a High severity rating due to its potential impact on user privacy and the integrity of cross-origin isolation policies. An attacker who successfully exploits this condition can craft an HTML page that, when rendered by the victim's browser, triggers the uninitialized resource access within ANGLE. This exploitation path does not require any additional plugins or external software, relying solely on standard web technologies like JavaScript and WebGL to interact with the graphics subsystem.
The operational impact of this vulnerability centers on the ability of a remote attacker to obtain cross-origin data that should otherwise be inaccessible due to same-origin policy restrictions. By leveraging the uninitialized memory state, an attacker may extract sensitive information such as cookies, local storage contents, or other session-specific data belonging to different origins hosted within the same browser instance. This undermines the fundamental security model of web browsers which relies on strict separation between contexts from different domains. The attack vector is remote and requires user interaction in the form of visiting a malicious webpage, but no further exploitation steps like clicking additional elements are necessarily required if the vulnerability triggers automatically during page load or rendering phases involving WebGL content.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating to Google Chrome version 152.0.7977.65 or later where this initialization logic has been corrected by the Chromium development team. For organizations unable to immediately patch all endpoints, network-level controls such as web application firewalls can be configured to detect and block requests associated with known exploit patterns targeting WebGL rendering engines, although detection is challenging due to the complexity of graphics API calls. Additionally, enabling strict Content Security Policy directives that restrict inline scripts and potentially limit WebGL capabilities in high-security environments can reduce the attack surface. It is also recommended to ensure that browser auto-update features are enabled so that users receive security patches promptly as they become available from Google.
This incident highlights the critical importance of memory safety in complex software stacks like browsers, where low-level components interact with high-level web standards. The integration of ANGLE into Chrome means that vulnerabilities within graphics libraries have direct consequences for general web browsing security rather than being isolated to specialized applications. Security researchers and developers should continue to monitor updates related to Chromium-based browsers and apply patches as soon as they are released to maintain robust protection against such memory corruption flaws. Adherence to secure coding practices, particularly regarding the initialization of all variables before use, remains essential in preventing similar issues in future software versions.