CVE-2026-11252: Google Chrome Auth Bypass Vulnerability

CVE-2026-11252 Overview

CVE-2026-11252 is an access control weakness in the Content Settings component of Google Chrome before version 149.0.7827.53. The flaw stems from insufficient policy enforcement [CWE-284], allowing a remote attacker to bypass discretionary access control through a crafted HTML page. Exploitation requires user interaction, such as visiting an attacker-controlled web page. Google rates the underlying Chromium security severity as Low, and the issue affects Chrome on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Google patched the vulnerability in the Stable channel update for desktop.

Critical Impact
A remote attacker can bypass Content Settings policy restrictions in the browser through a crafted HTML page, leading to limited integrity impact on browser-enforced access controls.

Affected Products

Google Chrome versions prior to 149.0.7827.53
Chrome on Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux
Chromium-based environments inheriting the affected Content Settings code

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-05 - CVE-2026-11252 published to NVD
2026-06-05 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-11252

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Chrome's Content Settings subsystem, which governs per-site permissions and policy decisions for features such as cookies, JavaScript, pop-ups, and other discretionary access controls. Insufficient enforcement of these policies allows a crafted page to take actions that should otherwise be blocked by the configured Content Settings. The issue is classified under [CWE-284] Improper Access Control. The EPSS probability is 0.021%, indicating a low likelihood of exploitation in the near term. No public proof-of-concept or exploit code has been observed, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Root Cause

The root cause is a gap in how Chrome's Content Settings layer validates or applies policy decisions for specific web-origin actions. When the enforcement check is missing or incomplete, the browser executes operations that should be denied by the active policy. This is a logic-level access control deficiency rather than a memory safety issue.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network and requires the victim to load a crafted HTML page in a vulnerable Chrome build. The attacker hosts content designed to invoke browser features in a way that evades Content Settings enforcement. No authentication is required, but user interaction is mandatory. Successful exploitation does not yield code execution or confidentiality loss; impact is limited to integrity of policy-enforced access decisions within the browser.

No verified exploit code is available. See the Chromium Issue Tracker #498373018 for technical details once the bug is made public.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-11252

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome browser instances reporting a version string below 149.0.7827.53 in endpoint inventory data
Browser telemetry showing Content Settings policy decisions inconsistent with the configured enterprise policy
Outbound connections from end-user hosts to unfamiliar domains hosting HTML payloads that probe browser permission boundaries

Detection Strategies

Inventory installed Chrome versions across managed endpoints and flag any build older than 149.0.7827.53
Correlate web proxy logs with browser telemetry to identify pages that trigger unexpected Content Settings behavior
Monitor enterprise policy compliance reports from Chrome Browser Cloud Management for drift between configured and applied settings

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Chrome Enterprise reporting to centralize browser version and policy state data
Forward browser and endpoint logs to a centralized analytics platform for version-drift detection
Track patch deployment status against the Chrome Stable channel release cadence to reduce exposure windows

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-11252

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome to version 149.0.7827.53 or later on all Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints
Verify automatic updates are enabled and not blocked by network or policy controls
Restart Chrome on user endpoints after the update is delivered to ensure the patched binary is active
Audit Chrome Enterprise policy configurations to confirm Content Settings are applied as intended after upgrade

Patch Information

Google released the fix in the Chrome Stable channel update referenced in the Google Chrome Stable Update advisory. Updating to Chrome 149.0.7827.53 or later remediates CVE-2026-11252. Chromium-based browsers downstream of the affected version should adopt the corresponding upstream patch.

Workarounds

Restrict end-user browsing to trusted sites using web proxy or DNS filtering until patching is complete
Apply strict Chrome Enterprise policies that minimize reliance on per-site Content Settings exceptions
Use browser isolation for high-risk browsing tasks on endpoints that cannot be updated immediately

bash

# Verify installed Chrome version on Linux
google-chrome --version

# Verify installed Chrome version on macOS
"/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome" --version

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