CVE-2026-110916: Google Chrome Desktop RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-110916 Overview

CVE-2026-110916 is an improper input validation vulnerability in the Desktop component of Google Chrome prior to version 155.0.8059.84. A remote attacker can craft a malicious HTML page to execute arbitrary code outside the Chrome sandbox. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, such as visiting an attacker-controlled web page. The flaw is tracked under CWE-20 and classified by Chromium with a security severity of Medium, though the CVSS calculation reflects a higher impact due to sandbox escape potential.

Critical Impact

Arbitrary code execution outside the Chrome sandbox on affected Desktop builds, enabling full compromise of the user context from a single malicious page visit.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome Desktop versions prior to 155.0.8059.84
• Chromium-based desktop browsers inheriting the vulnerable component
• Windows, macOS, and Linux Chrome Stable channel builds predating the fix

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-10-15 - CVE-2026-110916 published to NVD
• 2026-10-19 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-110916

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in input validation logic within the Desktop component of Google Chrome. The browser fails to properly validate attacker-controlled input delivered through a crafted HTML page. This flaw permits code execution that escapes the renderer sandbox boundary, which is the primary isolation layer protecting the host operating system from untrusted web content.

Sandbox escapes elevate the impact of a browser bug substantially. Instead of being confined to a single renderer process, an attacker can reach privileges held by the broader browser process. This expands access to the local filesystem, network stack, and other resources normally outside the reach of web content.

The advisory associates the issue with the Desktop component rather than a specific subsystem such as V8 or Blink. The scope change in the CVSS vector reflects the crossing of the sandbox trust boundary during exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper input validation [CWE-20] in a Desktop code path that processes content originating from an HTML page. Insufficient checks on untrusted input allow attacker-controlled data to influence execution in a privileged context. Google has not published implementation-level detail while patch adoption is in progress, which is standard practice for Chromium security disclosures.

Attack Vector

An attacker hosts a crafted HTML page and lures a target to open it in a vulnerable Chrome Desktop build. User interaction is limited to visiting the page, which can be achieved through phishing, malvertising, or compromise of a trusted site. Once rendered, the malicious content triggers the input validation flaw and executes code outside the sandbox in the user's security context.

See the Chromium Issue Tracker Report and the Google Chrome Update Announcement for vendor-provided references.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-110916

Indicators of Compromise

• Chrome renderer or browser process spawning unexpected child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, bash, or script interpreters
• Outbound network connections from Chrome to newly registered or low-reputation domains immediately following page navigation
• Unexpected file writes to user profile directories, startup folders, or scheduled task locations originating from Chrome processes

Detection Strategies

• Hunt for browser process ancestry anomalies where chrome.exe is the parent of binaries that do not belong to the Chrome update or helper toolchain
• Correlate Chrome process execution events with proxy or DNS telemetry to flag session-initiated connections to attacker infrastructure
• Inspect endpoint telemetry for sandbox-token integrity level mismatches between renderer and spawned child processes on Windows hosts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Inventory installed Chrome versions across the fleet and flag any build earlier than 155.0.8059.84
• Alert on execution of unsigned or user-writable binaries invoked within short time windows of Chrome navigation events
• Track phishing and malvertising reports for lures referencing browser updates or document previews that direct users to crafted HTML pages

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-110916

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome Desktop to version 155.0.8059.84 or later on all Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints
• Force browser restarts after update deployment to ensure the patched binary is active for all users
• Audit managed browser policies to confirm automatic updates are enabled and not blocked by group policy or MDM configurations

Patch Information

Google released the fix in the Chrome Stable channel at version 155.0.8059.84. Patch details are documented in the Google Chrome Update Announcement. Enterprise administrators should distribute the update through standard Chrome Enterprise or MDM channels and verify version compliance across the environment.

Workarounds

• Restrict browsing to trusted sites via web proxy policies until patching completes
• Enable site isolation and strict HTTPS enforcement to reduce exposure to attacker-controlled content
• Disable JavaScript on untrusted origins through enterprise policy where operationally feasible

# Verify Chrome version on Linux/macOS endpoints
google-chrome --version

# Windows PowerShell check of installed Chrome version
(Get-Item "$env:ProgramFiles\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe").VersionInfo.ProductVersion

# Example Chrome Enterprise policy to enforce automatic updates (Linux)
# /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/update_policy.json
{
  "DefaultBrowserSettingEnabled": true,
  "ComponentUpdatesEnabled": true
}