CVE-2026-13798: Google Chrome Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2026-13798 Overview

CVE-2026-13798 is a heap buffer overflow vulnerability in the Chromecast component of Google Chrome. The flaw affects Chrome versions prior to 150.0.7871.47 across Windows, macOS, and Linux. A remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process can leverage a crafted HTML page to trigger memory corruption on the heap. Successful exploitation can lead to a sandbox escape, breaking out of Chrome's renderer isolation boundary. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow) and is classified by Chromium as High security severity.

Critical Impact
Attackers who chain this flaw with a renderer compromise can escape the Chrome sandbox and execute code in a higher-privileged process context.

Affected Products

Google Chrome versions prior to 150.0.7871.47
Chrome installations on Microsoft Windows
Chrome installations on Apple macOS and Linux

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-30 - CVE-2026-13798 published to NVD
2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-13798

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Chromecast component that handles media routing and streaming from Chrome to Cast-enabled devices. A heap buffer overflow occurs when the component processes attacker-controlled data structures, writing beyond the boundaries of an allocated heap object. Because Chromecast code runs in a browser-side process that communicates with the sandboxed renderer, corruption of its heap can be used to influence execution flow outside the renderer sandbox. The bug requires user interaction, such as loading a crafted HTML page, and assumes the attacker has already achieved code execution inside the renderer process.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds validation on data crossing the renderer-to-browser inter-process communication (IPC) boundary within Chromecast message handling. When an oversized or malformed payload is deserialized, the component allocates or copies data into a heap buffer without correctly checking length constraints. This produces an out-of-bounds write on the heap, corrupting adjacent objects.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires two conditions. First, the attacker must already control the renderer process, typically by chaining a separate renderer bug delivered through a malicious web page. Second, the compromised renderer sends a crafted IPC message to the Chromecast component to trigger the heap overflow. The resulting memory corruption can be shaped into arbitrary read/write primitives and used to hijack control flow in the browser process, escaping the sandbox. No credentials are required, and the attack is delivered over the network via a hostile HTML page.

No public proof-of-concept code has been released. Technical context is available in the Google Chrome Update Announcement and the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13798

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome processes spawning unexpected child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or shell interpreters on macOS and Linux.
Crashes in the Chrome browser process referencing Chromecast or media router modules in crash dumps.
Outbound connections from Chrome to unfamiliar domains immediately after loading untrusted content.

Detection Strategies

Monitor Chrome version telemetry across managed endpoints and flag any host running a build older than 150.0.7871.47.
Alert on anomalous process lineage where Chrome child processes deviate from expected browser subprocess names.
Inspect endpoint crash reports for repeated heap corruption signatures inside Chrome, which can indicate exploitation attempts.

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest browser process telemetry and crash data into a SIEM or data lake for correlation with threat intelligence.
Baseline normal Chromecast traffic patterns and alert on unusual local device discovery or Cast session activity from endpoints.
Track execution of unsigned or newly created binaries dropped by the Chrome process tree.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13798

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome to version 150.0.7871.47 or later on all Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints.
Force-restart Chrome after deploying the update to ensure the patched binary is loaded into memory.
Verify enterprise Chrome update policies are not deferring stable channel updates beyond acceptable windows.

Patch Information

Google addressed CVE-2026-13798 in the Chrome stable channel release 150.0.7871.47. Details are documented in the Google Chrome Update Announcement. Administrators should validate deployment via chrome://version or centralized inventory tooling.

Workarounds

Disable the Media Router and Cast features via the MediaRouterEnabled and EnableMediaRouter enterprise policies where Chromecast functionality is not required.
Restrict browsing to trusted sites through URL allow-lists until patch deployment is complete.
Enable Site Isolation and strict sandboxing policies to raise the cost of chaining a renderer exploit with this flaw.

bash

# Example Chrome enterprise policy to disable Media Router (Linux/macOS JSON policy)
{
  "EnableMediaRouter": false,
  "MediaRouterCastAllowAllIPs": false
}