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CVE-2026-17757 is a medium‑severity vulnerability affecting Google Chrome’s Skia graphics library. The flaw stems from improper initialization of memory variables within Skia’s rendering routines. When Chrome processes a specially crafted HTML page, the vulnerable code paths can access uninitialised memory locations that still contain residual data from previous operations or other system memory regions.
Under normal conditions, Skia initialises all memory buffers before using them. However, in versions prior to 151.0.7922.72, certain graphical operations skip this initialisation step. An attacker can trigger these specific operations by embedding malicious SVG filters, canvas patterns, or font‑rendering sequences into a web page.
When the browser renders the page, the uninitialised memory is read and subsequently returned to the rendering engine. Because this memory may hold data from other origins (e.g., open tabs, iframes, or background processes), the attacker can extract cross‑origin information—including session cookies, authentication tokens, or even fragments of other websites’ DOM content.
The attack requires no local privileges and succeeds simply by enticing a user to visit a malicious site. No further user interaction is needed beyond loading the page. The Chromium security team classified this as Medium, reflecting that while the confidentiality impact is limited to information disclosure, the ease of exploitation and lack of user awareness make it a tangible privacy risk.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE‑457 (Use of Uninitialized Variable) and CWE‑248 (Uncaught Exception), and it can be leveraged as an initial foothold for more sophisticated attacks, such as session hijacking or credential theft. Patches were released with Chrome 151.0.7922.72, which now enforces strict initialisation and adds memory sanitisation checks in Skia’s graphics pipeline.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Google Chrome
Version: < 151.0.7922.72
Vulnerability: Uninitialized Use (Skia)
Severity: Medium (CVSS 4.3)
date: 2026-07-30
Prediction: 2026-08-02
What Undercode Say (Analytics & Bash Commands)
Check current Chrome version
google-chrome --version
Verify if vulnerable (version < 151.0.7922.72)
if [[ $(google-chrome --version | grep -oP '[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+' | head -1) < "151.0.7922.72" ]]; then
echo "VULNERABLE to CVE-2026-17757"
else
echo "Patched"
fi
Monitor for suspicious Skia rendering activity (Linux audit)
auditctl -w /usr/share/fonts -p r -k skia_monitor
ausearch -k skia_monitor --format text
Simulate the uninitialized memory read pattern (conceptual C++ snippet)
void vulnerable_skia_function() {
SkColor pixel_buffer; // uninitialized pointer
// ... missing initialisation ...
process_pixel(pixel_buffer); // reads stale memory
}
Exploit
A remote attacker hosts a crafted HTML page that triggers the vulnerable Skia code path. By manipulating SVG `feColorMatrix` filters or `CanvasRenderingContext2D` patterns, the attacker forces Skia to read from uninitialised memory. The leaked data is then exfiltrated via `XMLHttpRequest` or `fetch()` to an attacker‑controlled server. No sandbox escape is required; the leak occurs within the renderer process and can read cross‑origin data from other tabs or frames.
Protection
- Update Chrome to version 151.0.7922.72 or later immediately.
- Enable Site Isolation (
chrome://flags/enable-site-per-process) to limit cross‑origin data exposure. - Use memory‑safe browsing extensions (e.g., uBlock Origin) to block known malicious domains.
- Apply vendor patches for any embedded Chromium frameworks (Electron, CEF, etc.).
Impact
Successful exploitation allows an attacker to read arbitrary memory from the renderer process, leaking sensitive cross‑origin data such as:
– Session cookies and authentication tokens.
– Content from other open tabs or iframes.
– In‑memory credentials or API keys.
This can lead to account takeover, privacy violations, and further lateral movement within the browser’s security context.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
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