CVE-2026-1862: Google Chrome V8 RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-1862 Overview

CVE-2026-1862 is a type confusion vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript engine used by Google Chrome. This high-severity flaw exists in versions prior to 144.0.7559.132 and allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption through a specially crafted HTML page. The vulnerability stems from improper type handling in V8, which can lead to memory corruption when processing malicious JavaScript code.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this type confusion vulnerability to corrupt heap memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser process. Users visiting a malicious webpage could have their systems compromised without any additional user interaction beyond navigating to the page.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 144.0.7559.132
• Chromium-based browsers using vulnerable V8 engine versions
• Microsoft Edge, Brave, Opera, and other Chromium derivatives (until updated)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-03 - CVE-2026-1862 published to NVD
• 2026-02-04 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-1862

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-843 (Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type, commonly known as Type Confusion). In type confusion vulnerabilities, a program allocates or initializes a resource such as a pointer, object, or variable using one type, but later accesses that resource using a different, incompatible type.

In the context of V8, the JavaScript engine performs just-in-time (JIT) compilation and aggressive optimizations that make assumptions about object types. When these type assumptions are violated or bypassed, the engine may treat memory as a different data structure than originally intended. This mismatch can lead to out-of-bounds memory access, heap corruption, and ultimately arbitrary code execution.

The network-based attack vector with required user interaction indicates that exploitation occurs when a victim visits an attacker-controlled or compromised website containing malicious JavaScript designed to trigger the type confusion condition.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in V8's type handling mechanisms during JavaScript execution. V8 uses hidden classes and inline caches to optimize property access and function calls. When the engine incorrectly infers or tracks object types during optimization passes, subsequent operations may process data using incorrect type assumptions. This causes the engine to misinterpret memory layout, treating data of one type as another, leading to heap corruption.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must navigate to a webpage controlled by the attacker. The attacker embeds crafted JavaScript within an HTML page that manipulates V8's type system to trigger the confusion condition.

The exploitation flow typically involves:

1. The attacker hosts a malicious HTML page containing specially crafted JavaScript
2. The victim navigates to the attacker's page or a compromised legitimate site
3. The JavaScript executes and triggers the type confusion in V8's optimization pipeline
4. Heap corruption occurs, potentially allowing the attacker to gain control of execution flow
5. The attacker achieves code execution within the browser's sandbox context

Technical details about the specific exploitation mechanism can be found in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry once the bug is made public.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-1862

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected browser crashes or hangs when visiting specific websites
• Chrome crash reports indicating V8-related memory corruption or access violations
• Anomalous JavaScript execution patterns in browser process memory
• Browser sandbox escape attempts following V8 exploitation

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome versions below 144.0.7559.132 across the enterprise environment
• Implement network-level detection for known malicious domains serving exploit payloads
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify V8 crash patterns consistent with type confusion exploitation
• Utilize browser telemetry to identify anomalous JavaScript execution behaviors

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting and monitor for V8-related crash signatures
• Deploy SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect post-exploitation activities following browser compromise
• Monitor process creation events spawned by Chrome processes for suspicious child processes
• Track network connections from browser processes to identify potential command-and-control communications

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-1862

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 144.0.7559.132 or later immediately
• Enable automatic Chrome updates across all managed endpoints to ensure timely patch deployment
• Consider temporarily restricting access to untrusted websites if patching is delayed
• Review and update Chromium-based browser deployments (Edge, Brave, Opera) to their patched versions

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 144.0.7559.132. The fix corrects the type handling issue in V8 to prevent the confusion condition from being triggered. Organizations should reference the Google Chrome Update Announcement for official patch details and deployment guidance.

Workarounds

• Disable JavaScript execution in Chrome for untrusted sites using content settings or enterprise policies
• Deploy web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious or suspicious domains
• Consider using site isolation features to limit the impact of potential exploitation
• Implement network segmentation to contain potential breach impact from browser-based attacks

# Chrome enterprise policy to disable JavaScript on untrusted sites
# Add to Chrome policies (Windows Registry or managed preferences on macOS/Linux)

# Windows Registry example:
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
# JavaScriptBlockedForUrls = ["*"]
# JavaScriptAllowedForUrls = ["https://trusted-domain.com"]

# Verify Chrome version via command line
google-chrome --version
# Expected output: Google Chrome 144.0.7559.132 or higher