CVE-2026-2319: Google Chrome Privilege Escalation Flaw

CVE-2026-2319 Overview

CVE-2026-2319 is a race condition vulnerability in the DevTools component of Google Chrome prior to version 145.0.7632.45. A remote attacker who convinces a user to perform specific user interface (UI) gestures and install a malicious extension can trigger object corruption through a malicious file. Google rated the issue as Medium severity in its Chromium tracker, while the NVD entry assigns a higher CVSS score reflecting the potential confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. The flaw is tracked under CWE-362: Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization. Successful exploitation can lead to memory corruption inside the browser process.

Critical Impact

Exploitation can corrupt browser memory objects, enabling potential arbitrary code execution within the Chrome process after a user installs a malicious extension and triggers specific DevTools interactions.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.45 on Microsoft Windows
• Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.45 on Apple macOS
• Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.45 on Linux

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-11 - CVE-2026-2319 published to NVD
• 2026-02-13 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-2319

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Chrome's DevTools subsystem. DevTools exposes a privileged debugging surface that interacts with browser internals, extension APIs, and renderer processes. A race condition in this subsystem allows two or more concurrent operations to access a shared object without proper synchronization. When the timing aligns, one operation observes or modifies an object that another operation has already freed or transitioned to an inconsistent state, producing object corruption.

Exploitation requires user interaction. The attacker must convince the user to install a malicious extension and perform specific UI gestures that open or interact with DevTools in a controlled sequence. The combination of high attack complexity and required user interaction limits opportunistic exploitation, but targeted campaigns can still leverage the flaw against high-value users.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper synchronization between concurrent operations in DevTools, classified as CWE-362. Shared object state transitions occur without locking or ordering guarantees, allowing one execution path to operate on an object whose lifetime or contents have been altered by another path. The result is a corrupted object reference that an attacker can shape through a malicious file loaded into the browser.

Attack Vector

The attack chain combines social engineering and technical exploitation. The attacker distributes a malicious Chrome extension and a crafted file. The victim installs the extension and performs DevTools UI gestures requested by the attacker. The extension and file then race DevTools operations to trigger object corruption. Refer to the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry and the Google Chrome stable channel update for vendor details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-2319

Indicators of Compromise

• Installation of recently published or low-reputation Chrome extensions, particularly those requesting debugger or DevTools-related permissions.
• Unexpected Chrome renderer or browser process crashes referencing DevTools frames in crash dumps.
• Browser telemetry showing DevTools opened immediately after extension installation followed by file load operations.

Detection Strategies

• Inventory installed Chrome extensions across managed endpoints and flag extensions not present in an approved allowlist.
• Monitor endpoint process telemetry for chrome.exe versions below 145.0.7632.45 running in production.
• Correlate extension install events with subsequent DevTools usage and file access patterns that deviate from typical user behavior.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome enterprise reporting to forward extension install events and crash telemetry to a centralized log platform.
• Alert on browser process crashes with exception codes consistent with heap corruption following DevTools activity.
• Track Chrome version compliance continuously and flag endpoints that fall behind the patched build.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-2319

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 145.0.7632.45 or later on Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints.
• Restrict Chrome extension installation to an enterprise-managed allowlist using Chrome policies such as ExtensionInstallAllowlist and ExtensionInstallBlocklist.
• Remove unknown or untrusted extensions already present on managed devices.

Patch Information

Google addressed CVE-2026-2319 in Chrome 145.0.7632.45 for the Desktop stable channel. Deployment details are documented in the Stable Channel Update for Desktop. Administrators should validate that auto-update is functioning and force-update endpoints that have not restarted Chrome recently.

Workarounds

• Disable Chrome DevTools for managed users through the DeveloperToolsAvailability enterprise policy where DevTools access is not required.
• Block installation of third-party extensions and enforce installation only from the Chrome Web Store with administrator review.
• Train users to reject requests to install extensions or open DevTools in response to unsolicited instructions.

# Example Chrome enterprise policy on Linux to restrict extensions and DevTools
# /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/cve-2026-2319.json
{
  "DeveloperToolsAvailability": 2,
  "ExtensionInstallBlocklist": ["*"],
  "ExtensionInstallAllowlist": [
    "<approved-extension-id-1>",
    "<approved-extension-id-2>"
  ],
  "BrowserSignin": 2
}