In early January 2026, Google addressed a high-severity vulnerability (CVE-2026-0628) in the Gemini ‘Live in Chrome’ side panel. This flaw, discovered by Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42, allowed low-privilege extensions on Chrome to exploit the declarativeNetRequests API. Through this, malicious JavaScript could be injected into the trusted Gemini panel, granting potentially dangerous levels of access.
The vulnerability enabled extensions to inherit Gemini’s deep system capabilities, such as accessing the camera and microphone, taking screenshots, reading local files, and even presenting a phishing UI. This marked a significant breach of the traditional browser security model, where such permissions require explicit user authorization.
Google’s investigation, prompted by a demonstration of this issue in October, confirmed the exploit and led to a patch in Chrome versions 143.0.7499.192/193. While the solution resolved the immediate flaw, it underscored broader security concerns about integrating agentic AI panels like Gemini in Chrome or Copilot in Edge. These AI features operate with heightened privileges, appealing as targets for attackers. The incident illustrates how AI integration necessitates more robust, native security measures embedded within browsers to manage an expanded attack surface effectively.

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Google patched a high-severity Chrome vulnerability (CVE-2026-0628) in January 2026 that allowed low-privilege browser extensions to exploit the Gemini 'Live in Chrome' side panel via the declarativeNetRequests API. Malicious JavaScript injected into the trusted Gemini panel could inherit its elevated system permissions, enabling camera/microphone access, screenshots, local file reads, and phishing UI presentation — all without explicit user authorization. Discovered by Palo Alto Networks' Unit 42 and demonstrated in October, the fix landed in Chrome 143.0.7499.192/193. The incident highlights broader security risks of integrating agentic AI panels with heightened privileges into browsers, calling for stronger native security measures to manage the expanded attack surface.

Google Patches Critical Vulnerability in Chrome's Gemini AI Panel