CVE-2026-95280 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/29/2026
Race condition in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 154.0.8037.57 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/30/2026
The vulnerability identified as a race condition within the V8 JavaScript engine of Google Chrome prior to version 154.0.8037.57 represents a critical flaw in memory management and synchronization mechanisms during garbage collection or property access operations. Race conditions typically arise when two or more threads access shared data concurrently, and at least one thread modifies the data without proper locking or atomicity guarantees. In the context of V8, this likely involves a scenario where an object is accessed by JavaScript code while simultaneously being modified or reclaimed by the garbage collector or another internal process. This temporal discrepancy allows for use-after-free conditions or type confusion attacks, where the attacker can manipulate memory states to bypass security boundaries. The Chromium project has classified this issue with high severity due to its potential for arbitrary code execution within the browser's sandboxed environment, which is designed to isolate web content from the host operating system and prevent malicious actors from gaining unauthorized access to user data or system resources.
From a technical perspective, such vulnerabilities often stem from complex interactions between the Just-In-Time compiler, garbage collector, and runtime type checks. When an attacker crafts a specific HTML page containing optimized JavaScript code that triggers this race condition, they can exploit the window of vulnerability where memory is freed but still referenced by active execution contexts. This enables the manipulation of heap structures to achieve arbitrary read or write primitives. Once these low-level memory control capabilities are established, the attacker can construct shellcode or leverage existing gadgets within the browser process to execute arbitrary commands. The sandboxing mechanisms in Chrome, while robust against many attack vectors, rely on strict adherence to object lifecycles and type safety; a race condition undermines these assumptions by allowing stale pointers to be dereferenced with malicious intent, effectively neutralizing the protective barriers intended to contain exploits within the renderer process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for users browsing untrusted or compromised websites. A successful exploitation allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandboxed browser context. While modern browsers employ multiple layers of defense such as Control Flow Integrity and memory protection features, breaking out of the sandbox remains a primary objective for advanced persistent threats and state-sponsored actors. If an attacker can escape the renderer process sandbox, they may gain access to sensitive user data, including cookies, session tokens, and personal information stored by web applications. Furthermore, in environments where Chrome is used as part of enterprise security architectures or integrated with other system components, a successful exploit could serve as a foothold for lateral movement within a network or escalation of privileges on the host machine. The ability to execute code remotely via a crafted HTML page means that no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious site is required, significantly lowering the barrier for exploitation and increasing the risk profile associated with routine web browsing activities.
To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations and individual users must ensure that Google Chrome is updated to version 154.0.8037.57 or later immediately upon availability. This update contains patches that address the synchronization issues within V8, ensuring proper locking mechanisms are applied during critical memory operations and preventing the race condition from being triggered. For enterprise environments, it is advisable to implement automated patch management systems to deploy these updates across all endpoints promptly. Additionally, deploying browser isolation technologies or web content filtering solutions can provide an additional layer of defense by blocking access to known malicious domains or restricting script execution in untrusted contexts. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to memory corruption exploits and ensure that endpoint detection and response tools are configured to detect anomalous behavior indicative of sandbox escape attempts, such as unusual process spawning patterns or unexpected network connections originating from browser processes.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-362, which covers concurrent execution race conditions leading to unintended side effects. It also relates to the MITRE ATT&CK framework technique T1059, specifically command and script interpretation via JavaScript, as well as potential privilege escalation paths if sandbox escape is achieved. Understanding these classifications helps in mapping defensive controls to specific threat vectors. The remediation strategy focuses on timely patching combined with defense-in-depth measures such as application whitelisting and network segmentation to limit the blast radius of any successful exploitation attempt. Continuous monitoring for new CVEs affecting V8 and other core browser components remains essential given their central role in modern web security infrastructure.