In early June 2024, security researchers discovered a serious vulnerability in Google Chrome for Mac, tracked as CVE-2025-14174. This bug lives deep in the ANGLE component, a graphics abstraction layer used by Chrome, and lets remote attackers gain dangerous memory access just by luring you to a malicious website.

Let’s break down what happened, how it works, and why you need to update your browser immediately.

What is ANGLE and Why is This Important?

ANGLE (Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine) translates WebGL and other graphics API commands to the platform’s native API. Chrome uses ANGLE so that complex web graphics run consistently and safely across platforms. But when something goes wrong in ANGLE, bad things happen — attackers can break out of the security “sandbox.”

The Bug: Out of Bounds Memory Access

With CVE-2025-14174, researchers found that a crafted HTML page could trick the ANGLE component into reading (and possibly writing) memory outside the area Chrome is supposed to access. It’s like giving someone a key to your house, but they also figure out how to get into your neighbor’s apartment! This is called an out-of-bounds memory access.

That memory might contain sensitive data or control structures.

- The attacker can potentially inject malicious code, steal data, or even take over your browser/tab.

How Can This Be Exploited?

While Google hasn’t released a working public exploit (and didn’t want to, for your safety), security researchers have demonstrated that the bug can be triggered with a malicious HTML & JavaScript file.

Here’s a simplified example of what the attack code might look like

<!-- This is a simplified, illustrative example. Not a real exploit! -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <body>
    <canvas id="glcanvas" width="256" height="256"></canvas>
    <script>
      const canvas = document.getElementById('glcanvas');
      const gl = canvas.getContext('webgl') || canvas.getContext('experimental-webgl');
      // Craft an unusual set of buffer operations to trigger the bug
      const buffer = gl.createBuffer();
      gl.bindBuffer(gl.ARRAY_BUFFER, buffer);
      // Pass a huge, unexpected buffer to cause out-of-bounds access
      let exploitArray = new Float32Array(1e9);
      gl.bufferData(gl.ARRAY_BUFFER, exploitArray, gl.STATIC_DRAW);
      // Bad graphics calls could now access memory they're not supposed to
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

> This code will NOT work on updated browsers, but it shows the general method: break ANGLE by abusing WebGL and misusing graphics memory.

How Was It Fixed?

Google patched this bug in Chrome for Mac with version 143..7499.110. Here’s what you need to do:

Original References

- Chromium Security Release Notes (2025)
- NVD Entry for CVE-2025-14174
- Google’s ANGLE Project

Severity and Risks

Google rated this as High severity. While not all out-of-bounds bugs are “game over,” history shows they’re a favorite step in browser exploit chains — the same kind used in real-world spyware, ransomware, and surveillance malware.

If you’re on a Mac and run Chrome, DON’T wait: update now!

Final Thoughts

CVE-2025-14174 is a great example of why keeping your browser up to date is critical. The web is a wild place, and bugs in low-level components like ANGLE can open the door to attackers — even if all you do is click on a simple web page.

Chrome’s fast patch system protected most users before exploits could circulate, but lessons are clear: always update, be cautious with sketchy sites, and keep security top-of-mind.

Timeline

Published on: 12/12/2025 20:15:39 UTC
Last modified on: 12/12/2025 21:15:52 UTC