What is the CVSS score of CVE-2026-2648?

CVE-2026-2648 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.1%.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2026-2648?

Within 24 hours: Issue security alert to all users warning against opening PDFs from untrusted sources and disable PDF preview features in Chrome where possible. Within 7 days: Implement email gateway controls to block or sandbox PDF attachments from external senders; monitor for exploitation attempts in browser logs and network traffic. Within 30 days: Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to detect post-exploitation activity; establish mandatory security awareness training on PDF-based threats; plan Chrome version updates as soon as vendor patch is released (monitor Chromium releases closely).

Chrome CVE-2026-2648

HIGH

Heap-based Buffer Overflow (CWE-122)

2026-02-18 chrome-cve-admin@google.com

Buffer Overflow Chrome Google Red Hat Suse

8.8

CVSS 3.1 · NVD

View

Attack ChainAIDerived

Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain

Access

Deliver crafted PDF file to victim
Delivery

Browser downloads and opens PDF
Exploit

PDFium parser processes malformed PDF structure
Execution

Heap buffer overflow triggered
Impact

Arbitrary code execution in Chrome process

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness	CWE CWE-122 OWASP Top 10:2025 A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components ASVS 5.0 V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Heap buffer bounds checking MITRE ATT&CK 1 technique across 1 tactic: Execution The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. Sign in to read
Exploitation Conditions	User must open or download a crafted PDF file in Google Chrome versions prior to 145.0.7632.109. Vulnerability exists in PDFium's PDF parsing engine when processing malformed PDF structures containing heap buffer overflow conditions.
Impact	CVSS 8.8 (HIGH). Attack vector: Network. Complexity: Low. Privileges required: None. User interaction: Required. Exploitable via remote/network.
Exploit ScenarioDerived	A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability to compromise the affected system.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).

Patch available 0.1% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 12, 2026

Google Chrome's PDFium library contains a heap buffer overflow vulnerability that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or corrupt memory by opening specially crafted PDF files, affecting all users without requiring authentication or special user interaction. The vulnerability impacts Chrome versions prior to 145.0.7632.109 with a high CVSS score of 8.8, though no patch is currently available. An attacker can exploit this to achieve complete compromise of the affected system including confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)

v1 Mar 12, 2026 - 21:55 CVSS 8.8

Heap buffer overflow in PDFium in Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.109 allowed a remote attacker to perform an out of bounds memory write via a crafted PDF file. (Chromium security severity: High) [CVSS 8.8 HIGH]

RemediationAI

Monitor vendor advisories for a patch. Enable ASLR, DEP/NX, and stack canaries where possible. Restrict network access to the affected service where possible.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

Classified as CWE-122 (Heap-based Buffer Overflow). Affects Chrome. Heap buffer overflow in PDFium in Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.109 allowed a remote attacker to perform an out of bounds memory write via a crafted PDF file. (Chromium security severity: High)

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Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH

AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

SUSE HIGH

Red Hat 8.8 HIGH

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector

Network

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Patch released

Apr 10, 2026 - 08:30 nvd

Patch available

CVE Published

Feb 18, 2026 - 22:16 nvd

HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Heap buffer overflow in PDFium in Google Chrome prior to 145.0.7632.109 allowed a remote attacker to perform an out of bounds memory write via a crafted PDF file. (Chromium security severity: High)

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

A critical heap buffer overflow vulnerability in Google Chrome's PDF processing engine (CVE-2026-2648) allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by distributing malicious PDF files to users. This poses an immediate risk to any organization where employees use Chrome to open untrusted or externally-sourced PDFs, potentially leading to data breach, system compromise, or lateral network movement.

Business Impact: High

Compensating Controls

Disable Chrome's built-in PDF viewer and force PDFs to open in isolated sandboxes or alternative readers; implement email gateway scanning with sandbox detonation for PDF attachments; restrict PDF execution via AppLocker or EDR policies; segment user workstations to limit lateral movement; block Chrome auto-updates temporarily if organizational change control requires staged patching; monitor for indicators of compromise (IOCs) specific to CVE-2026-2648 exploitation.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score

0.1%

Top 74% exploitable

Data Quality

3 sources

Confidence: Low

NVD

CVE.org

EPSS Vendor

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue

Severity HIGH

CISA KEV No

Public POC No

EPSS 0.1%

Patch available Yes

Active threat No

Deciding rule

HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)

What every action level means

Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.

Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived

Scheduled

Exploitation· derived

None

System Exposure· derived

Open

Automatable· derived

Human Impact

High

Priority Score

Low Medium High Critical

KEV: 0

EPSS: 0

CVSS: +44

PoC: 0

Weaponized: 0

Threat intel: 0

Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Buffer Overflow HIGH

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.