CVE-2026-11211: Chrome V8 Integer Overflow RCE Vulnerability – Patch Now

Technical summary

CVE-2026-11211 is an integer overflow vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript engine (CWE-472) present in Google Chrome versions prior to 149.0.7827.53. The flaw permits remote code execution within the browser sandbox when a user visits a malicious HTML page. The vulnerability requires user interaction (visiting a webpage) but no special privileges, and the network vector is unauthenticated. The Chromium security team classified the underlying issue as Medium severity; however, the CVSS 3.1 assessment reflects a score of 8.8 (HIGH) due to the confluence of high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact.

Business impact

Successful exploitation enables attackers to execute arbitrary code in the context of the Chrome browser process on affected systems. While sandboxed, a breach of the sandbox—particularly when combined with secondary vulnerabilities in the operating system or browser—could lead to data exfiltration, malware installation, or lateral movement within an organization. For enterprises, this represents both direct risk to users who browse untrusted content and indirect risk if the sandbox escape is leveraged as part of a multi-stage attack chain.

Affected systems

The vulnerability affects Google Chrome versions before 149.0.7827.53. Because Chrome is cross-platform, the flaw impacts Chrome running on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The listed vendors and products (Windows, macOS, Linux kernel) reflect the operating systems on which Chrome operates, though the vulnerability is native to Chrome itself rather than these platforms.

Exploitability

Exploitation is straightforward from a delivery perspective: an attacker must craft a malicious HTML page and convince or trick a user into visiting it. No authentication, special privileges, or complex user interaction beyond normal browsing is required. The attack surface is broad—any website the user visits or any HTML-based communication vector (email, chat, etc.) could be weaponized. However, the exploit must be tailored to trigger the integer overflow in V8, meaning successful in-the-wild exploitation requires technical precision.

Remediation

Update Google Chrome to version 149.0.7827.53 or later as soon as possible. Chrome's auto-update mechanism typically deploys patches within days of release, but organizations should verify successful patching and force updates if necessary in managed environments. Users on macOS and Linux should ensure their respective systems' package managers or Chrome's built-in updater reflect the patched version.

Patch guidance

Verify that Google Chrome has been updated to version 149.0.7827.53 or later by checking Settings > About Google Chrome (Chrome will display the installed version and automatically check for updates). In enterprise environments, use Chrome management policies or MDM solutions to enforce the minimum version requirement. Confirm patching across desktop, mobile, and any kiosk deployments of Chrome within 30 days of the patch release.

Detection guidance

Monitor for unusual child processes spawned from Chrome or suspicious JavaScript activity if you have browser process monitoring in place. Network detection is less direct but look for anomalous outbound connections from Chrome processes to unexpected hosts. Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools should flag unsigned code execution or privilege escalation attempts originating from the Chrome sandbox. Log authentication and data access anomalies on systems where potentially exploited users accessed sensitive resources.

Why prioritize this

This vulnerability merits high priority due to the combination of broad user exposure (any Chrome user visiting untrusted content), low barrier to exploitation (only requires a crafted webpage and user visit), and the CVSS 8.8 score reflecting high impact. Although it does not yet appear on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, the sandbox-breaking nature makes it an attractive target for advanced threat actors. Organizations should treat this as urgent and patch within 30 days.

Risk score, explained

The CVSS 3.1 score of 8.8 (HIGH) reflects: network-based attack vector (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), no required privileges (PR:N), and user interaction needed (UI:R). The high impact ratings (C:H, I:H, A:H) recognize that arbitrary code execution within the sandbox, while constrained, still achieves confidentiality breach (exfiltration of in-memory data), integrity compromise (malware injection or modification of browser state), and availability impact (resource consumption or crash). The Chromium team's 'Medium' classification likely weighs the sandbox containment more heavily; the CVSS score appropriately captures the objective exploitability and impact.

Frequently asked questions