Description

Incorrect authorization in Safebrowsing in Google Chrome prior to 154.0.8037.57 allowed a remote attacker to bypass system access restrictions via crafted network traffic. (Chromium security severity: Low)

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "4.8",
  "pubDate": "2026-09-29T18:17:20.987Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-09-29T18:17:20.987Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A vulnerability categorized as incorrect authorization exists within the Safebrowsing component of Google Chrome prior to version 154.0.8037.57. This flaw allows a remote, unauthenticated attacker to circumvent established system access restrictions by leveraging specifically crafted network traffic.\nThe vulnerability resides in the authorization logic governing how Safebrowsing handles incoming network requests. By sending malicious packets, an attacker can trick the browser into performing actions or accessing system resources that should be restricted under normal operational security policies.\nThe primary risk is the bypass of security constraints, which potentially permits unauthorized data flow or internal system interaction. Although the Chromium project has classified this vulnerability as Low severity, it represents a failure in the principle of least privilege, as the browser should reject unauthorized or malformed requests by default. Successful exploitation requires the ability to reach the target via network traffic, making it a remote attack vector. Users are advised to upgrade to the specified patched version or later to remediate the authorization logic failure.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability stems from an improper authorization implementation within the Safebrowsing module, which is responsible for verifying the reputation of URLs and protecting users from malicious content. In the affected versions of Google Chrome, the internal authorization checks—designed to ensure that requests to or from the Safebrowsing service originate from authorized contexts—do not correctly validate the integrity or the origin of certain network signals.\nThe root cause is a deficiency in the logic that handles incoming network traffic interactions. Because the validation layer is insufficient, the application fails to enforce granular access control policies when processing specific crafted payloads. This creates a state where the browser's internal security boundary can be crossed by an external party using crafted network traffic.\nThe attack flow begins with the attacker initiating a connection that interacts with the browser's Safebrowsing infrastructure. By transmitting a crafted sequence of packets or a specific request format, the attacker exploits the flawed authorization check. Because the system incorrectly validates the permissions associated with these network requests, the browser proceeds to process the data as if it were a legitimate, authenticated request. This bypasses the security layer intended to restrict system access or internal resource availability.\nThe vulnerable component is the internal Safebrowsing subsystem. Since this module often operates with elevated privileges relative to standard web content, the ability to bypass its authorization logic is significant. Once the authorization check is bypassed, the attacker can leverage the browser's existing internal networking capabilities to bypass intended system access restrictions. The exact impact is localized to the context in which the Safebrowsing component operates, meaning the attacker does not necessarily gain full system compromise, but rather achieves a breakdown of the security model governing the interaction between network traffic and browser-internal services.\nThe exploitation does not require the user to perform complex actions, as it relies on the browser's automated processing of network traffic. The lack of proper validation on the incoming data structure allows the attacker to manipulate the browser into executing logic that it would otherwise prohibit, violating the security posture of the application's underlying sandbox or architectural access controls."
}