CVE-2026-13922 Overview
CVE-2026-13922 is a side-channel information leakage vulnerability in the Paint component of Google Chrome prior to version 150.0.7871.47. A remote attacker can leak cross-origin data by convincing a user to visit a crafted HTML page. The flaw is tracked under [CWE-1300] (Improper Protection of Physical Side Channels) and Chromium rates its security severity as Medium. Exploitation requires user interaction but no authentication, and network access is sufficient to reach the vulnerable rendering path. Successful exploitation breaks the same-origin policy guarantees that browsers rely on to isolate untrusted web content.
Critical Impact
Remote attackers can leak sensitive cross-origin data from other web sessions by luring a victim to a malicious page rendered in a vulnerable Chrome build.
Affected Products
- Google Chrome versions prior to 150.0.7871.47
- Chromium-based browsers embedding the vulnerable Paint component
- Desktop Chrome Stable channel builds released before the June 2026 update
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-06-30 - CVE-2026-13922 published to NVD
- 2026-07-01 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-13922
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in Chrome's Paint subsystem, which is responsible for rasterizing and compositing rendered web content. The Paint pipeline processes elements from multiple origins during layout and paint operations. A side channel in this pipeline allows a malicious page to infer state or content associated with resources loaded from a different origin. The disclosed data can include pixel-derived information, layout timing, or other cross-origin artifacts that should remain isolated between browsing contexts. Because the vulnerability requires only a crafted HTML page and a single user visit, drive-by attack scenarios are practical.
Root Cause
The root cause is classified as [CWE-1300], improper protection against physical or logical side channels. The Paint component exposes measurable properties, such as timing or resource-dependent state, that vary based on cross-origin data. An attacker observes those properties from JavaScript running in an attacker-controlled origin and reconstructs information that same-origin policy would otherwise prevent them from reading directly.
Attack Vector
Exploitation proceeds over the network with low attack complexity and requires user interaction, typically clicking a link or loading a page. The attacker hosts a crafted HTML document that instructs Chrome to paint attacker-selected content alongside targeted cross-origin resources. By measuring paint-related side channels from script, the page infers pixels or metadata belonging to another origin. No privileges on the target system are required. Verified public exploit code and Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog entries are not available at this time. Technical details are tracked in Chromium Issue Tracker #511748106.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13922
Indicators of Compromise
- Browser processes running Chrome versions below 150.0.7871.47 after the vendor patch date
- Outbound requests to unfamiliar domains serving HTML pages that embed cross-origin iframes, images, or SVG resources followed by high-frequency requestAnimationFrame or performance.now measurements
- User reports of unexpected redirects or pop-ups preceding suspicious authenticated actions on unrelated sites
Detection Strategies
- Inventory Chrome versions across managed endpoints and flag any host running a build older than 150.0.7871.47
- Inspect proxy and DNS logs for repeated visits to newly registered domains that deliver script-heavy HTML pages to end users
- Correlate browser telemetry with authentication anomalies on internal web applications to identify possible cross-origin data exposure
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable enterprise browser reporting to centralize Chrome version and extension telemetry
- Alert on execution of Chrome binaries whose version string precedes the patched release
- Monitor web application logs for session anomalies that follow user browsing to untrusted external sites
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13922
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Google Chrome to version 150.0.7871.47 or later on all desktop platforms
- Force-restart Chrome after deployment so the patched binary is loaded into memory
- Push equivalent updates for Chromium-based browsers that consume upstream Blink and Skia code
- Restrict access to untrusted websites through enterprise web filtering while patch rollout completes
Patch Information
Google released the fix in the Stable channel update announced in the Google Chrome Stable Update. Administrators should validate that endpoints report a version at or above 150.0.7871.47. Additional engineering context is available in the Chromium Issue Tracker #511748106.
Workarounds
- Deploy managed browser policies that block navigation to uncategorized or newly registered domains until patching completes
- Configure Chrome enterprise policies to enforce site isolation and disable unnecessary experimental features that expose additional paint timing surfaces
- Advise users to avoid clicking links from untrusted sources and to keep automatic updates enabled
# Verify the installed Chrome version on Linux endpoints
google-chrome --version
# Example expected output after remediation
# Google Chrome 150.0.7871.47
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
