CVE-2026-79273 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Incorrect reference resolution in WebView in Google Chrome on on Android prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker to potentially bypass web origin policy via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Low)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified involves an incorrect reference resolution mechanism within the WebView component of Google Chrome for Android, specifically in versions prior to 152.0.7977.65. This flaw stems from a logic error where the browser engine fails to correctly resolve object references or identifiers during the parsing and execution of web content. In modern web browsers, including Chromium-based implementations like Chrome on Android, WebView serves as an embedded component that allows applications to display web pages within their own UI containers. The security model relies heavily on strict isolation between different origins to prevent malicious scripts from accessing sensitive data belonging to other sites or the host application itself. When reference resolution is mishandled, it can lead to a situation where internal pointers or identifiers are misinterpreted, potentially allowing code intended for one context to interact with resources in another unauthorized context.
The primary operational impact of this vulnerability is the potential bypassing of web origin policies. Origin policy enforcement is a fundamental security feature designed to restrict how documents or scripts loaded from one origin can interact with resources from another origin. By exploiting the incorrect reference resolution, a remote attacker could craft an HTML page that tricks the browser into treating content from a malicious domain as if it originated from a trusted domain or had elevated privileges within the current context. This bypass allows the attacker to access sensitive data such as cookies, local storage, or DOM elements belonging to other sites embedded in the WebView, effectively breaking the sandbox isolation that protects user privacy and application integrity. Although classified with a low security severity by Chromium standards, this type of vulnerability can be chained with others to achieve more significant impacts like cross-site scripting or session hijacking.
From an industry standard perspective, this flaw aligns closely with CWE-20 Improper Input Validation, as the root cause lies in the failure to properly validate and resolve references before use. It also relates to CWE-862 Missing Authorization, since the browser fails to enforce access controls correctly due to the flawed reference handling. In terms of attack vectors, this vulnerability maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically within web browsers, where attackers leverage scripting capabilities to exploit logic flaws for unauthorized data access or lateral movement within a compromised environment. The exploitation typically requires social engineering elements such as convincing a user to visit a malicious website that hosts the crafted HTML page designed to trigger the reference resolution error in the WebView component.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome on Android to version 152.0.7977.65 or later, where this logic flaw has been corrected by developers through rigorous code review and testing processes. For application developers utilizing WebView components within their own apps, it is critical to ensure that the embedded browser engine is kept up-to-date with security patches released by Google. Additionally, implementing strict Content Security Policy headers can help mitigate some of the risks associated with origin policy bypasses by restricting the sources from which scripts and other resources are loaded. Regular security audits and static code analysis tools should be employed during development to identify potential logic errors in how web content is processed and referenced within embedded browser contexts.