CVE-2026-5274: Google Chrome RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2026-5274 Overview

CVE-2026-5274 is an integer overflow vulnerability in the Codecs component of Google Chrome prior to version 146.0.7680.178. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform arbitrary read/write operations via a crafted HTML page, potentially leading to full system compromise. The vulnerability was assigned a Chromium security severity rating of High.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this integer overflow to achieve arbitrary memory read/write capabilities, potentially leading to code execution within the context of the browser process.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome prior to version 146.0.7680.178
• Affects Chrome on Microsoft Windows
• Affects Chrome on Apple macOS
• Affects Chrome on Linux

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-01 - CVE-2026-5274 published to NVD
• 2026-04-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-5274

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Codecs component of Google Chrome, which handles media encoding and decoding operations. When processing specially crafted media content embedded in an HTML page, the codec parser fails to properly validate integer boundaries before performing memory allocation or buffer operations.

The flaw is classified under CWE-472 (External Control of Assumed-Immutable Web Parameter), though the core issue is an integer overflow that occurs during codec processing. When an attacker supplies malicious input values that cause the integer overflow, subsequent memory operations use the corrupted size value, enabling out-of-bounds memory access.

This vulnerability requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must navigate to a malicious webpage containing the crafted HTML content. Once triggered, the attacker gains the ability to read from or write to arbitrary memory locations within the browser process.

Root Cause

The root cause is an integer overflow condition in the Codecs component where input values used in size calculations are not properly bounds-checked. When processing media codec parameters, multiplication or addition operations can wrap around to small values when dealing with attacker-controlled large integers. This results in undersized buffer allocations followed by copy operations that exceed the allocated buffer boundaries.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires convincing a victim to visit a malicious website. The attacker embeds a specially crafted HTML page containing malicious media content designed to trigger the integer overflow during codec parsing.

The exploitation flow involves:

1. Victim navigates to attacker-controlled or compromised website
2. Malicious HTML page loads with crafted media content
3. Chrome's Codecs component processes the media data
4. Integer overflow occurs during size calculation
5. Subsequent memory operations use corrupted size values
6. Attacker achieves arbitrary read/write primitive

The vulnerability can be exploited to bypass Chrome's sandbox protections in combination with other techniques, potentially leading to full system compromise. For detailed technical information, refer to the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-5274

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual Chrome renderer process crashes or instability when visiting specific websites
• Memory corruption artifacts in Chrome crash dumps referencing codec-related components
• Unexpected network connections from Chrome to suspicious domains serving media content
• Browser process exhibiting anomalous memory access patterns

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome crash reports containing stack traces related to codec processing functions
• Deploy browser-level monitoring to detect exploitation attempts targeting media parsing
• Implement network security controls to identify and block access to known malicious domains
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for post-exploitation behavior

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting and analyze crash patterns across endpoints
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity platform for real-time detection of exploitation attempts
• Monitor for suspicious child process spawning from Chrome renderer processes
• Implement web filtering to block access to newly registered or low-reputation domains

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-5274

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 146.0.7680.178 or later immediately
• Enable automatic Chrome updates across all managed endpoints
• Review and restrict access to untrusted websites through web filtering policies
• Deploy browser isolation solutions for high-risk user populations

Patch Information

Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability in Chrome version 146.0.7680.178. Organizations should prioritize deployment of this update across all systems. The official release announcement is available at the Google Chrome Stable Update.

For enterprise environments, administrators can use Chrome Browser Cloud Management or Group Policy to enforce browser updates. Verify update deployment by checking that Chrome version is 146.0.7680.178 or higher.

Workarounds

• Disable automatic media playback in Chrome settings as a temporary measure
• Use web proxy filtering to block potentially malicious media content types
• Consider using browser isolation solutions to contain potential exploitation
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers on internal web applications

# Verify Chrome version on Linux/macOS
google-chrome --version
# Expected output: Google Chrome 146.0.7680.178 or higher

# Force Chrome update check via command line
google-chrome --check-for-update-interval=1