CVE-2026-4675: Google Chrome Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2026-4675 Overview

A heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists in the WebGL component of Google Chrome prior to version 146.0.7680.165. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to perform an out-of-bounds memory read through a specially crafted HTML page. The vulnerability is classified as a heap overflow (CWE-122) and out-of-bounds write (CWE-787), representing a serious security risk that could be exploited without authentication through social engineering techniques.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability to potentially execute arbitrary code or access sensitive memory contents by tricking users into visiting a malicious webpage containing crafted WebGL content.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 146.0.7680.165
• Apple macOS (when running vulnerable Chrome versions)
• Linux (when running vulnerable Chrome versions)
• Microsoft Windows (when running vulnerable Chrome versions)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-03-24 - CVE-2026-4675 published to NVD
• 2026-03-24 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-4675

Vulnerability Analysis

This heap buffer overflow vulnerability resides in Google Chrome's WebGL implementation, which provides hardware-accelerated 3D graphics rendering within the browser. The flaw occurs when the WebGL component processes maliciously crafted graphics data, leading to memory corruption conditions.

When exploited, the vulnerability enables out-of-bounds memory operations, which could allow an attacker to read or write data beyond the intended buffer boundaries. This type of memory corruption can lead to information disclosure, denial of service, or potentially arbitrary code execution depending on how the overflow is leveraged.

The attack requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must navigate to a malicious webpage containing the crafted HTML and WebGL content. However, given the ubiquity of web browsing and the potential for embedding malicious content in otherwise legitimate-looking pages, this interaction requirement presents a relatively low barrier for attackers.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from improper bounds checking in Chrome's WebGL graphics subsystem. When processing certain WebGL operations, the browser fails to properly validate the size of data being written to heap-allocated buffers. This results in a classic heap buffer overflow condition where data can be written beyond the allocated memory region, corrupting adjacent heap structures or enabling arbitrary memory access.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network through a crafted HTML page. An attacker can host a malicious webpage or inject malicious content into compromised websites. When a victim with a vulnerable Chrome version visits the page, the crafted WebGL content triggers the heap overflow during rendering operations. The attack requires no special privileges and only requires the user to browse to the attacker-controlled content.

The vulnerability can be exploited through several delivery mechanisms including:

• Direct links to malicious pages distributed via phishing
• Malvertising campaigns embedding crafted content in advertisements
• Compromised legitimate websites serving malicious WebGL content
• Drive-by download scenarios targeting vulnerable Chrome installations

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-4675

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual Chrome browser crashes or instability, particularly when rendering 3D/WebGL content
• Abnormal memory consumption by Chrome renderer processes
• Detection of suspicious HTML pages containing obfuscated WebGL shaders or buffer operations
• Network traffic to unknown domains immediately following browser crashes

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome crash reports containing WebGL-related stack traces
• Deploy network-based detection rules to identify malformed WebGL content in HTTP/HTTPS traffic
• Utilize endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor Chrome process behavior for heap corruption indicators
• Implement browser telemetry analysis to identify unusual WebGL API call patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting and review crash dumps for WebGL-related anomalies
• Configure SentinelOne agents to monitor Chrome process memory operations and heap integrity
• Establish baseline WebGL usage patterns to detect anomalous rendering behavior
• Monitor for attempted exploitation through web proxy logs and browser security events

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-4675

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 146.0.7680.165 or later immediately across all systems
• Enable automatic updates to ensure timely patching of future vulnerabilities
• Consider temporarily disabling WebGL in Chrome via chrome://flags if immediate patching is not possible
• Review and restrict access to untrusted websites pending patch deployment

Patch Information

Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability. The patch is included in Chrome version 146.0.7680.165 and later. For detailed information about the update, refer to the Google Chrome Desktop Update announcement. Additional technical details may be available at the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Workarounds

• Disable WebGL in Chrome by navigating to chrome://flags and setting the WebGL flag to disabled
• Implement network-level filtering to block known malicious domains serving WebGL exploits
• Use browser isolation solutions to contain potential exploitation attempts
• Deploy content security policies (CSP) to restrict WebGL execution on sensitive internal applications

# Configuration example
# Disable WebGL via Chrome command line flags
# Launch Chrome with WebGL disabled
google-chrome --disable-webgl

# Alternative: Disable via enterprise policy (Windows Registry)
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
# Add DWORD: WebGLAllowed = 0

# Linux/macOS managed preferences
# Set WebGLAllowed policy to false in Chrome enterprise configuration