Description

Improper enforcement of behavioral workflow in Media in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "7.5",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-25T21:18:03.850Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-25T21:18:03.850Z",
  "executiveSummary": "This vulnerability involves an improper enforcement of behavioral workflows within the Media component of Google Chrome. The flaw permits a remote attacker who has already achieved arbitrary code execution within the restricted renderer process to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox. The vulnerability is classified by Chromium as having a Medium security severity. The impact is significant, as it facilitates a sandbox escape, allowing the attacker to bypass Chrome's primary security boundary and interact directly with the underlying operating system. Exploitation requires the attacker to successfully compromise the renderer process first, typically through a secondary exploit such as a memory corruption vulnerability within a crafted HTML page. Once the renderer is compromised, the attacker leverages the logic flaw in the Media workflow to transition from the constrained environment into the broker process or the host environment. This breach compromises the fundamental security architecture of the browser, potentially leading to unauthorized system access, data exfiltration, or persistence on the host machine. Systems running Google Chrome versions prior to 152.0.7977.65 are susceptible. Users are urged to upgrade to the latest stable release to mitigate the risk of sandbox containment failure.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability originates from a logic-based flaw in the enforcement of behavioral workflows within the Media subsystem of the Chromium browser architecture. Chromium employs a multi-process model where the renderer process is sandboxed, operating with limited privileges and restricted access to system resources. The Media component, which handles audio and video processing, often bridges the gap between web content and platform-specific media frameworks, making it a critical boundary for security.\nThe root cause is an improper validation of state transitions or API call sequences within the Media implementation. An attacker who has achieved code execution inside the renderer process—perhaps by exploiting an unrelated vulnerability in a web-exposed interface—can issue a sequence of crafted commands to the Media subsystem that bypasses expected workflow constraints. Because the workflow enforcement mechanism fails to verify that these calls adhere to the permitted behavioral state machine, the attacker can force the system to perform operations that are intended only for higher-privileged processes.\nThe exploitation flow typically begins with the delivery of a malicious HTML document to the target user. This document contains payloads designed to exploit a vulnerability within the renderer (such as a Use-After-Free or buffer overflow in JavaScript or WebAssembly). Once the renderer is compromised, the attacker executes arbitrary code within the sandboxed environment. From this point, the attacker initiates a series of malformed requests to the Media process or service. These requests are specifically crafted to exploit the aforementioned logic error in the workflow enforcement. By invoking Media APIs in an irregular, non-sequential, or out-of-bounds manner, the attacker can influence the internal state of the Media process in a way that leads to unauthorized memory access or arbitrary code execution in the context of the broker process or other higher-privilege host components.\nBecause the vulnerability allows the attacker to operate outside the renderer sandbox, the post-exploitation impact includes the ability to perform operations restricted by the sandbox, such as accessing sensitive local files, interacting with system APIs, or evading browser security policies. This bypasses the primary security layer meant to contain malicious web content. The vulnerability affects Google Chrome prior to version 152.0.7977.65 and relies on the attacker's ability to trigger the Media workflow logic, necessitating that the attacker first establish a foothold within the renderer process via a separate exploit chain."
}