CVE-2026-79196 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Race condition in Editing in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker leveraging social engineering to obtain sensitive information via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Low)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-8384 represents a race condition within the editing subsystem of Google Chrome, specifically affecting versions prior to 152.0.7977.65. This flaw arises from improper synchronization mechanisms when handling concurrent operations related to document content manipulation and state updates. In web browsers, the rendering engine must frequently process user inputs, script executions, and DOM modifications simultaneously. When these processes are not strictly serialized or properly locked during critical sections of memory access, a race condition can occur where one thread reads data that is being modified by another thread before the modification is complete. This temporal discrepancy allows an attacker to exploit the window between state initialization and finalization to extract information that should remain isolated within the browser's security context.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability falls under CWE-362, which classifies race conditions involving concurrent access and updates to shared resources without adequate synchronization. The specific impact of this flaw is categorized as sensitive data exposure, aligning with CWE-200. An attacker leveraging social engineering techniques can craft an HTML page that triggers multiple editing events or script executions in rapid succession. By carefully timing these actions, the malicious code can intercept intermediate states of user input or document content before they are properly sanitized or secured by Chrome's security boundaries. This allows for the exfiltration of sensitive information such as typed credentials, personal data entered into forms, or other confidential text that has not yet been committed to a secure state within the browser session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is primarily driven by its reliance on social engineering rather than purely automated exploitation. Because the attack vector requires user interaction with a crafted HTML page, it targets users who may be tricked into visiting malicious websites through phishing campaigns or deceptive links. The severity rating from Chromium security as Low reflects the complexity required to reliably trigger the race condition and the dependency on human behavior for successful exploitation. However, even low-severity vulnerabilities can lead to significant privacy breaches if exploited at scale against targeted individuals. The ability to obtain sensitive information via a remote attack vector underscores the importance of robust input handling and state management in web browsers, as users often assume that their typed data is secure until explicitly submitted or saved.
Mitigation for this vulnerability involves updating Google Chrome to version 152.0.7977.65 or later, where the race condition has been addressed through improved synchronization of editing operations and stricter enforcement of security boundaries during content manipulation. Users should ensure that automatic updates are enabled to receive these patches promptly. Additionally, from a defensive posture perspective, organizations should enforce strict Content Security Policies (CSP) to limit the execution of inline scripts and restrict access to sensitive APIs where possible. Awareness training for users regarding social engineering tactics remains critical, as this vulnerability requires user interaction with malicious content. Monitoring browser activity for unusual patterns of data extraction or unexpected network requests can also aid in detecting potential exploitation attempts before significant damage occurs.