CVE-2026-14416: Google Chrome Dawn RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-14416 Overview

CVE-2026-14416 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in Dawn, the WebGPU implementation used by Google Chrome. The flaw affects Chrome versions prior to 150.0.7871.46. A remote attacker can exploit the issue by luring a user to a crafted HTML page. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to potentially perform a sandbox escape from the renderer process. The Chromium project rated the intrinsic severity as Low, while the National Vulnerability Database assigns a CVSS 3.1 score of 9.6 due to the scope change and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The vulnerability is tracked under [CWE-125: Out-of-bounds Read].

Critical Impact
A crafted web page can trigger an out-of-bounds read in Dawn to escape the Chrome sandbox, allowing code execution outside the renderer's isolation boundary.

Affected Products

Google Chrome desktop versions prior to 150.0.7871.46
Chromium-based browsers embedding the vulnerable Dawn WebGPU component
Applications bundling affected Chromium builds through frameworks such as Electron or CEF

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-01 - CVE-2026-14416 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-14416

Vulnerability Analysis

Dawn is Chromium's cross-platform implementation of the WebGPU standard. It translates WebGPU API calls from web content into native graphics commands for backends such as Vulkan, Metal, D3D12, and OpenGL. Because Dawn processes GPU command buffers derived from untrusted web content, memory safety issues in this component have direct security implications.

The vulnerability is an out-of-bounds read within Dawn's handling of WebGPU operations. When a crafted HTML page issues specifically shaped WebGPU calls, Dawn reads memory beyond the bounds of an intended buffer. The read primitive leaks or misinterprets adjacent memory, providing conditions suitable for a sandbox escape when chained with additional logic in the GPU process.

The CVSS vector indicates network reachability, low attack complexity, no privileges, and user interaction limited to visiting a page. The scope change reflects the crossing of the renderer sandbox boundary into the more privileged GPU process context.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing or insufficient bounds validation on data structures processed by Dawn before they are consumed by GPU backend code. WebGPU exposes low-level GPU functionality including buffers, textures, bind groups, and command encoders. Any code path that indexes into these structures without validating offsets, sizes, or descriptor counts against the underlying allocation can produce an out-of-bounds read. Details of the specific function are restricted while the Chromium Issue Tracker entry remains access-controlled.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires a victim to load attacker-controlled HTML in a Chrome version prior to 150.0.7871.46. The page uses WebGPU JavaScript APIs to submit crafted commands or resources that trigger the out-of-bounds read in Dawn. The primitive is then used to build a sandbox escape, allowing code execution in the GPU process outside the renderer sandbox. No authentication or prior access is required. See the Google Chrome Stable Update announcement for release context.

// No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available for CVE-2026-14416.
// Exploitation involves crafted WebGPU API sequences delivered via HTML.
// Refer to the Chromium Issue Tracker entry once access restrictions are lifted.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-14416

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome or Chromium-based browser processes crashing in dawn_native or GPU process modules after visiting untrusted pages
Unexpected child processes spawned from the Chrome GPU process, particularly shells or scripting hosts
Outbound network connections initiated by the GPU process to unfamiliar hosts
Browser telemetry showing repeated GPU process restarts correlated with specific URLs

Detection Strategies

Inventory browser versions across the estate and flag any Chrome or Chromium build older than 150.0.7871.46
Monitor endpoint telemetry for anomalous behavior originating from Chrome GPU processes, including memory access violations and unusual system calls
Correlate web proxy logs with browser crash reports to identify pages that consistently trigger GPU process faults
Apply behavioral rules to detect renderer-to-GPU-to-host process chains that deviate from expected browser execution patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Chrome Enterprise crash and telemetry reporting to identify Dawn-related instability early
Alert on any process spawned by chrome.exe --type=gpu-process that is not part of the standard browser lifecycle
Track WebGPU feature usage in managed environments and restrict origins permitted to invoke it where possible
Review DNS and HTTP logs for repeated visits to newly registered domains preceding browser crash events

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-14416

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome to version 150.0.7871.46 or later on all managed endpoints
Force browser restarts through enterprise management tooling to ensure the patched binary is loaded
Audit downstream Chromium-based applications such as Electron builds for updated releases containing the fixed Dawn component
Restrict browsing to trusted sites for high-value users until patch coverage is verified

Patch Information

Google released the fix in the Chrome Stable channel update tracked in the Chrome Releases blog. Users must be on Chrome 150.0.7871.46 or newer. Chromium-based browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi require their vendor-specific rebuilds incorporating the updated Dawn source.

Workarounds

Disable WebGPU via the enterprise policy or the chrome://flags/#enable-unsafe-webgpu toggle where operationally acceptable
Deploy the URLBlocklist policy to prevent access to untrusted origins on unpatched hosts
Enforce Site Isolation and ensure the GPU sandbox is enabled in Chrome policy configurations
Use application allowlisting to prevent unexpected child processes from executing under the Chrome process tree

bash

# Example Chrome Enterprise policy to disable WebGPU on Linux hosts until patching completes
cat <<'EOF' | sudo tee /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/disable_webgpu.json
{
  "DefaultWebGpuSetting": 2,
  "URLBlocklist": ["webgpu://*"]
}
EOF

# Verify installed Chrome version meets the patched build
google-chrome --version