CVE-2026-2315: Google Chrome WebGPU RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-2315 Overview

CVE-2026-2315 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the WebGPU implementation in Google Chrome. An inappropriate implementation flaw in the WebGPU component allows a remote attacker to potentially perform out-of-bounds memory access through a specially crafted HTML page. This vulnerability poses significant risk as it can be exploited remotely without requiring authentication, needing only user interaction to visit a malicious webpage.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this WebGPU implementation flaw to perform out-of-bounds memory access, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, information disclosure, or browser compromise when users visit malicious web pages.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 145.0.7632.45
• Chromium-based browsers using vulnerable WebGPU implementation

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-11 - CVE-2026-2315 published to NVD
• 2026-02-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-2315

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability stems from an inappropriate implementation within the WebGPU API in Google Chrome. WebGPU is a modern graphics API that provides access to GPU capabilities for rendering and compute operations within web browsers. The flaw enables out-of-bounds memory access, which occurs when the application reads or writes data outside the boundaries of allocated memory regions.

Successful exploitation requires user interaction—specifically, a victim must navigate to an attacker-controlled webpage containing a malicious HTML payload designed to trigger the vulnerability. Once triggered, the out-of-bounds memory access could allow attackers to read sensitive information from memory, corrupt adjacent memory regions, or potentially achieve arbitrary code execution within the browser's context.

The Chromium security team has rated this vulnerability as High severity, indicating significant potential for exploitation and impact on affected systems.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2026-2315 lies in an inappropriate implementation within the WebGPU component's memory handling logic. WebGPU operations involve complex interactions between JavaScript, the browser's rendering engine, and the underlying GPU hardware. The implementation flaw allows crafted WebGPU shader code or API calls to bypass proper bounds checking, resulting in memory operations that exceed their intended boundaries.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring a remote attacker to lure a victim to a malicious webpage. The attacker would craft an HTML page containing JavaScript code that interacts with the WebGPU API in a specific manner designed to trigger the out-of-bounds memory access condition.

The exploitation process involves:

1. An attacker hosts a malicious webpage containing crafted WebGPU shader code or API calls
2. A victim using a vulnerable Chrome version navigates to the attacker's page
3. The malicious code executes, triggering the inappropriate implementation flaw
4. Out-of-bounds memory access occurs, potentially allowing data exfiltration or code execution

For technical details on the vulnerability mechanism, refer to the Chromium Issue #479242793.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-2315

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual WebGPU API activity or shader compilation attempts in browser process logs
• Browser crashes or unexpected terminations when visiting untrusted websites
• Memory corruption indicators or abnormal browser memory consumption patterns
• Evidence of WebGPU-related JavaScript execution from suspicious domains

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome browser versions below 145.0.7632.45 across the enterprise
• Implement web content filtering to block access to known malicious domains
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying browser exploitation attempts
• Review browser crash reports for patterns indicating WebGPU-related memory corruption

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting and review reports for WebGPU-related crashes
• Implement network monitoring for connections to newly registered or suspicious domains
• Configure browser telemetry to capture WebGPU API usage anomalies
• Monitor endpoint protection alerts for browser process memory manipulation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-2315

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 145.0.7632.45 or later immediately
• Enable automatic browser updates to ensure timely security patch deployment
• Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites
• Review and enforce browser security policies across the organization

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 145.0.7632.45. The fix resolves the inappropriate implementation in the WebGPU component that allowed out-of-bounds memory access. Organizations should prioritize updating all Chrome installations to this version or later.

For detailed patch information, refer to the Google Chrome Update Announcement.

Workarounds

• Disable WebGPU in Chrome by launching with the --disable-features=WebGPU flag as a temporary measure
• Implement browser isolation technologies to contain potential exploitation attempts
• Restrict access to untrusted websites through web filtering or proxy solutions
• Consider using alternative browsers with WebGPU disabled until patching is complete

# Temporary workaround: Launch Chrome with WebGPU disabled
google-chrome --disable-features=WebGPU

# For enterprise deployment, add to Chrome policies
# Windows Registry:
# HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\WebGPUEnabled = 0 (REG_DWORD)