CVE-2026-79220
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Information leak in Network in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to obtain sensitive information via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as an information leak within the network stack of Google Chrome prior to version 152.0.7977.65 represents a significant breach in browser isolation mechanisms, specifically targeting the boundary between renderer processes and system-level networking components. This flaw allows a remote attacker who has already achieved code execution or compromise within a sandboxed renderer process to exfiltrate sensitive data that should remain inaccessible under normal security constraints. The severity of this issue is classified as medium by Chromium security standards, reflecting its potential for exploitation in targeted attacks while acknowledging the existing mitigations provided by Chrome's multi-process architecture and sandboxing policies.
The technical root cause lies in how the browser handles network requests initiated from within a compromised renderer context. Typically, renderers operate in highly restricted environments designed to prevent access to sensitive system resources or other tabs' data. However, due to improper validation or state management within the networking layer, an attacker can craft specific HTML pages that trigger unintended behavior when processed by the browser engine. This crafted content exploits gaps in permission checks or memory handling during network operations, allowing the renderer to send requests or receive responses containing sensitive information such as cookies, authentication tokens, or internal API data associated with other origins or processes. The attack vector relies on social engineering or drive-by download techniques where a user visits a malicious website designed to leverage this specific flaw in the browser's networking logic.
From an operational impact perspective, successful exploitation of this vulnerability enables unauthorized access to private user data and potentially facilitates further lateral movement within a compromised system. An attacker could use leaked credentials or session tokens to impersonate users across different services that share authentication mechanisms with the targeted site. This undermines the confidentiality guarantees provided by modern web browsers and can lead to account takeover, identity theft, or exposure of proprietary information if accessed in enterprise environments. The ability to extract data from a renderer process bypasses many traditional perimeter defenses because the traffic appears as legitimate browser activity originating from a trusted application binary.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which categorizes it under Information Exposure, specifically detailing scenarios where sensitive information is disclosed to unauthorized actors through improper handling of network communications. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this behavior corresponds to techniques found in the MITRE ATT&CK catalog related to Data from Local System Retrieval and potentially Command and Control if used for beaconing or exfiltration channels. The exploitation path demonstrates how renderer escape vulnerabilities can be chained with network-level flaws to achieve data theft without triggering standard sandbox alerts immediately.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome to version 152.0.7977.65 or later, where the underlying networking logic has been patched to enforce stricter isolation between renderer processes and sensitive network resources. Administrators should ensure automatic updates are enabled for all endpoints running this browser to minimize exposure windows. Additionally, implementing Content Security Policy (CSP) headers with strict directives can help mitigate some downstream effects by limiting what scripts can execute or where they can send data, although CSP alone cannot fully prevent exploitation of a renderer escape vulnerability if the attacker has already gained code execution privileges within that context. Regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on browser isolation boundaries are recommended to identify similar architectural weaknesses in web applications served through this platform.