CVE-2026-85052 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/03/2026
Out of bounds read in CrashReporting in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.82 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to read memory outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/05/2026
The vulnerability identified as an out-of-bounds read within Google Chrome's CrashReporting component represents a significant breach of browser isolation principles, specifically affecting versions prior to 152.0.7977.82. This flaw resides in the crash reporting mechanism which is responsible for collecting and transmitting diagnostic data when the browser encounters critical failures. The core technical issue stems from improper bounds checking during memory access operations within this module. When a crafted HTML page triggers specific code paths related to crash handling, the application fails to verify that the memory address being read falls within the allocated buffer limits. This oversight allows the renderer process, which is typically sandboxed to restrict its capabilities for security reasons, to perform unauthorized reads from adjacent or unrelated regions of system memory.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability exploits the boundary between the untrusted renderer context and potentially sensitive host resources. In modern browser architectures like Chromium, each tab runs in an isolated renderer process with restricted permissions to prevent malicious websites from accessing data belonging to other tabs or the operating system itself. However, when CrashReporting is invoked due to a crash condition triggered by the crafted page, it operates with elevated privileges necessary for diagnostic collection. The out-of-bounds read allows the attacker to bypass these sandbox restrictions because the vulnerable code path does not adequately validate memory pointers before dereferencing them. This results in the leakage of arbitrary memory contents that would otherwise be inaccessible to a standard web context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, particularly for users who visit maliciously crafted websites or are subjected to drive-by download attacks. An attacker with control over the renderer process can leverage this flaw to read sensitive information from the browser's memory space. This may include session cookies, authentication tokens, private keys stored in memory during cryptographic operations, or other confidential data processed by extensions and plugins running within the same context. The ability to exfiltrate such data undermines the fundamental trust model of web browsing, where users expect that visiting a malicious site will not result in full system compromise or identity theft through credential harvesting.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) category CWE-125, which describes Out-of-bounds Read vulnerabilities involving memory access beyond allocated boundaries. It also maps to the MITRE ATT&CK framework under techniques related to Credential Access and Data Exfiltration from Local Systems, specifically leveraging sandbox escape mechanisms to gain unauthorized data access. The severity rating of High by Chromium security reflects the potential for significant privacy breaches and the relative ease with which an attacker can trigger this condition through standard web technologies without requiring additional user interaction beyond visiting a webpage.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome to version 152.0.7977.82 or later, where these bounds checks have been corrected in the CrashReporting module. Organizations should enforce automated patch management policies to ensure that all endpoints running Chromium-based browsers are kept up-to-date with the latest security fixes. Additionally, users can employ browser hardening techniques such as disabling unnecessary plugins and extensions which may increase the attack surface for renderer process exploitation. Network-level monitoring tools can also be configured to detect anomalous outbound data transfers from browser processes, although this is less effective than direct patching given that the exfiltration occurs via standard web channels once memory access is achieved.