CVE-2026-79148 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Off-by-one error in DevTools in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker leveraging social engineering to potentially read memory inside the sandbox via a crafted Chrome extension. (Chromium security severity: Low)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as an off-by-one error within Google Chrome's DevTools component represents a classic boundary condition flaw that can lead to out-of-bounds memory access. This specific defect occurs when the software incorrectly calculates array indices or buffer sizes, allowing for a read operation one unit beyond the intended memory allocation boundaries. In the context of browser security architecture, such errors are particularly dangerous because they occur within components that often handle complex data structures and user inputs from web pages or extensions. The severity is classified as low by Chromium standards, yet this classification does not diminish the potential risk associated with sandbox escape scenarios involving sophisticated attack vectors like crafted Chrome extensions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability centers on the ability to read memory contents inside the browser's sandboxed environment. Modern browsers utilize a multi-process architecture where renderer processes operate in restricted sandboxes to prevent malicious code from accessing sensitive system resources or other tabs' data. However, if an attacker can leverage social engineering techniques to trick a user into installing and activating a specially crafted Chrome extension, they may exploit this off-by-one error to perform unauthorized memory reads. This capability allows the extraction of potentially sensitive information stored in adjacent memory locations, such as credentials, session tokens, or internal browser state data that should remain isolated from untrusted code.
From an industry standards perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-193, which describes off-by-one errors leading to a one-byte buffer over-read. The attack vector also correlates with MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to initial access through trusted software extensions and subsequent data exfiltration via memory scraping. The reliance on social engineering highlights the importance of user awareness alongside technical controls, as the exploit requires active participation from the victim in installing malicious or compromised browser add-ons that contain the exploitable code payload targeting the DevTools functionality.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating to Google Chrome version 152.0.7977.65 or later, where this boundary check logic has been corrected to ensure proper bounds validation before memory access operations are executed. Administrators and users should enforce strict policies regarding browser extension installation, preferring only extensions from verified publishers with strong security track records. Additionally, enabling Chrome's built-in protection features that warn about potentially harmful applications can provide an additional layer of defense against social engineering attempts aimed at installing malicious extensions. Regular patch management cycles are essential to address such vulnerabilities promptly before they can be weaponized in targeted attacks or widespread campaigns exploiting the trust users place in browser extension ecosystems.