CVE-2026-7924: Google Chrome Information Disclosure Flaw

CVE-2026-7924 Overview

CVE-2026-7924 is an uninitialized memory use vulnerability in the Dawn component of Google Chrome. Dawn is Chrome's open-source implementation of the WebGPU standard, providing graphics processing capabilities to web content. The flaw affects all Chrome versions prior to 148.0.7778.96 across Windows, macOS, and Linux. A remote attacker can exploit the issue by serving a crafted HTML page that triggers reads from uninitialized process memory. Successful exploitation discloses sensitive information from the browser process address space. Chromium classifies the underlying defect as High severity, while NVD scores it as Medium.

Critical Impact

A crafted HTML page can leak sensitive data from Chrome process memory by triggering uninitialized memory reads in the Dawn WebGPU implementation.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome prior to 148.0.7778.96
• Chromium-based browsers using the Dawn WebGPU component
• Chrome on Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, and Linux

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-05-06 - CVE-2026-7924 published to NVD
• 2026-05-06 - Last updated in NVD database
• 2026-05 - Google releases stable channel update for desktop

Technical Details for CVE-2026-7924

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Dawn, the Chromium project's cross-platform WebGPU implementation. Dawn translates WebGPU API calls from web pages into native graphics commands for Direct3D, Metal, and Vulkan backends. The defect allows a remote attacker to read process memory that has not been properly initialized before use. An attacker hosts a malicious HTML page that issues specific WebGPU operations through JavaScript. When a victim visits the page, Dawn processes the WebGPU calls and exposes residual memory contents back to the page. The leaked data can include pointers, cryptographic material, or other browser state useful for follow-on attacks. User interaction is required because the victim must navigate to the attacker-controlled page.

Root Cause

The issue maps to CWE-457: Use of Uninitialized Variable. Code paths within Dawn consume memory buffers or structure fields before assigning deterministic values. The contents reflect whatever data previously occupied those memory regions inside the GPU process. When this uninitialized data is returned to JavaScript through WebGPU APIs, it crosses the trust boundary between the renderer and untrusted web content.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network through standard web browsing. The attacker delivers a crafted HTML page using WebGPU JavaScript APIs that invoke the vulnerable Dawn code paths. No authentication or elevated privileges are required. The victim must load the page in a vulnerable Chrome build, satisfying the user interaction requirement. The attack does not yield code execution on its own but provides an information disclosure primitive. Attackers commonly chain such primitives with memory corruption bugs to bypass Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) and achieve sandbox escapes.

No public proof-of-concept code or exploit has been released. Technical details are tracked in Chromium Issue Tracker #500087204.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-7924

Indicators of Compromise

• Chrome browser processes running versions earlier than 148.0.7778.96 after the patch release date
• Browser telemetry showing visits to unknown domains hosting WebGPU-heavy content shortly before anomalous renderer activity
• Unexpected GPU process crashes or memory access violations correlated with WebGPU API usage

Detection Strategies

• Inventory installed Chrome versions across managed endpoints and flag any build below 148.0.7778.96.
• Monitor outbound web traffic for connections to domains serving suspicious WebGPU payloads or .html pages with unusual navigator.gpu usage patterns.
• Correlate GPU process crash dumps with browsing history to identify potential exploitation attempts.

Monitoring Recommendations

• Deploy endpoint detection tooling that tracks browser process integrity and child process spawns.
• Enable Chrome enterprise reporting to centralize crash reports and version compliance data.
• Review proxy and DNS logs for high-risk domains hosting exploit kits targeting browser memory disclosure flaws.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-7924

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 148.0.7778.96 or later on all Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints.
• Restart Chrome after the update completes to ensure the patched binaries are loaded.
• Verify automatic update policies are enabled and not blocked by group policy or proxy restrictions.
• Audit Chromium-based browser distributions, including Edge, Brave, and Opera, for vendor updates incorporating the Dawn fix.

Patch Information

Google addressed the vulnerability in the Chrome stable channel update referenced in the Google Chrome Release Update. The fix is included in Chrome 148.0.7778.96 and later. Enterprise administrators should distribute the update through standard software management tooling and confirm deployment using version reporting.

Workarounds

• Disable WebGPU through enterprise policy by setting the appropriate Chrome policy until the patch is deployed.
• Restrict browsing to trusted sites using web filtering or proxy controls to reduce exposure to crafted HTML pages.
• Apply site isolation and strict sandbox settings to limit information disclosure impact across origins.

# Verify Chrome version on Linux endpoints
google-chrome --version

# Windows: query installed Chrome version via registry
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Google\Update\Clients\{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96}" /v pv

# Disable WebGPU temporarily via Chrome enterprise policy (JSON example)
# Place in /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/webgpu.json
{
  "HardwareAccelerationModeEnabled": false
}