A newly discovered zero-day vulnerability in Chromium-based browsers (CVE-2025-5067) poses severe risks to over 3 billion users worldwide. This memory corruption flaw in Chrome's tab management system allows attackers to execute arbitrary code simply by luring victims to a malicious webpage.

Understanding the CVE-2025-5067 Threat

The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling in Chromium's tab isolation mechanism. Security researchers at Project Zero discovered that specially crafted JavaScript can bypass security boundaries between browser tabs, enabling:

  • Full system compromise on unpatched devices
  • Silent installation of malware/spyware
  • Credential theft from other open tabs
  • Browser session hijacking

Affected Browsers and Versions

All Chromium-based browsers before these versions are vulnerable:

Browser Patched Version Release Date
Google Chrome 122.0.6261.129 March 4, 2025
Microsoft Edge 122.0.2365.92 March 5, 2025
Opera 86.0.4363.64 March 6, 2025

How the Exploit Works

The attack chain typically involves:

  1. Victim visits a compromised or malicious website
  2. Specially crafted JavaScript triggers memory corruption
  3. Attacker gains control over the renderer process
  4. Privilege escalation to browser kernel
  5. Full system access achieved

Immediate Protection Measures

  1. Update Immediately: Check for updates via:
    - Chrome: Settings > About Chrome
    - Edge: Settings > About Microsoft Edge

  2. Enable Enhanced Protection:
    - Turn on Chrome's Enhanced Safe Browsing
    - Enable Edge's Microsoft Defender SmartScreen

  3. Temporary Mitigations:
    - Disable JavaScript for untrusted sites
    - Use browser sandboxing tools
    - Enable strict site isolation

Enterprise Protection Strategies

For IT administrators:

  • Deploy emergency patches via GPO/Intune
  • Monitor for unusual tab process behavior
  • Implement network-level URL filtering
  • Consider temporary restrictions on web applications

The Bigger Picture

This marks the fourth critical Chromium vulnerability this year, highlighting:

  • Growing complexity of browser security
  • Increasing sophistication of web-based attacks
  • Need for more robust memory protection

Google has awarded a $75,000 bounty for the discovery, reflecting the severity of this flaw.

Long-Term Security Recommendations

  • Enable automatic browser updates
  • Use hardware-enforced stack protection
  • Consider browser extensions that monitor memory usage
  • Regularly audit installed web applications

Security experts warn that exploit kits are likely to incorporate this vulnerability within weeks, making prompt patching essential for all users.