CVE-2026-95318 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/29/2026
Buffer overflow in Video in Google Chrome prior to 154.0.8037.57 allowed a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-6982 represents a critical buffer overflow condition within the video processing subsystem of Google Chrome, specifically affecting versions prior to 154.0.8037.57. This flaw resides in how the browser handles multimedia data streams during playback or decoding operations. Buffer overflows occur when a program writes more data to a fixed-length block of memory than it can hold, causing adjacent memory locations to be overwritten with unintended values. In this context, the vulnerability allows for arbitrary code execution outside the security sandbox that typically isolates web content from the underlying operating system and user files. The Chromium project has classified this issue as having high severity due to its potential impact on system integrity and confidentiality.
From a technical perspective, the root cause lies in improper bounds checking or memory management within the video decoding pipeline. When Chrome processes crafted HTML pages containing maliciously constructed media elements, it fails to validate the size of incoming data against the allocated buffer space. This lack of validation enables an attacker to inject shellcode or other executable payloads into the process memory. By carefully crafting the input stream, a remote attacker can manipulate control flow instructions such as return addresses or function pointers. Once these structures are overwritten with malicious values, the browser executes arbitrary code in the context of the user running Chrome, effectively bypassing sandbox restrictions that are designed to limit the damage caused by compromised web pages.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe because it facilitates remote code execution without requiring any interaction from the victim other than visiting a specially crafted website or viewing an embedded media element on a legitimate site. This aligns with common attack vectors described in industry standards such as CWE-120, which covers buffer copy without checking size limits, and CWE-787, which addresses out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities. The ability to execute code outside the sandbox means that attackers can potentially access sensitive user data, install persistent malware, or use the compromised machine for further network attacks. This scenario is consistent with techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1203, specifically the exploitation of software bugs for initial execution and privilege escalation within application environments.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating to a patched version of Google Chrome where 154.0.8037.57 or later is installed. These updates include fixes that enforce stricter memory allocation checks and improve input validation mechanisms within the video processing components. Organizations should ensure automated update policies are in place to minimize exposure windows for end-users who may not manually check for browser updates regularly. Additionally, deploying endpoint detection and response solutions can help identify anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unexpected process spawning or memory access violations originating from Chrome processes. Security awareness training regarding suspicious links and media content also serves as a secondary layer of defense against social engineering tactics that might be used to deliver the crafted HTML pages associated with this vulnerability.