Chrome Gemini Vulnerability Lets Attackers Access Victims’ Camera and Microphone Remotely

A newly discovered high-severity vulnerability in Google Chrome’s Gemini Live integration, tracked as CVE-2026-0628, exposed users to significant privacy and security risks.

Researchers found that the flaw could allow malicious browser extensions to hijack the Gemini side panel, granting unauthorized access to a user’s camera, microphone, and local files.

The integration of AI assistants into web browsers, creating so-called “agentic browsers,” fundamentally changes the browser security landscape.

Features like Gemini Live in Chrome require deep, privileged access to the browsing environment to perform tasks like real-time content summarization and automated execution.

CVE ID	Severity	Affected Component	Exploit Mechanism	Impact	Status
CVE-2026-0628	High	Google Chrome Gemini Live Panel	JavaScript injection via declarativeNetRequests API	Unauthorized access to camera, mic, files, and screenshots	Patched (Jan 2026)

This multimodal perspective, where the AI sees what the user sees, creates a widened attack surface.

The privileged nature of these AI components means that vulnerabilities within them can bypass traditional browser security models.

Exploiting the Gemini Panel

Researchers at Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 found that the core issue with CVE-2026-0628 lies in how Chrome handles the Gemini web app (hxxps[:]//gemini.google[.]com/app) when loaded within the new side panel versus a standard tab.

By design, browser extensions using the declarativeNetRequests API can intercept and modify HTTPS requests, a feature often used by ad blockers.

While injecting JavaScript into the Gemini app in a regular tab doesn’t grant special privileges, doing so when the app is loaded in the Gemini panel is highly dangerous.

Chrome grants the panel elevated capabilities, such as reading local files and accessing media devices, to enable complex AI tasks.

By intercepting the app within the panel, an attacker could hijack these elevated privileges.

Potential Impact and Mitigation

Exploiting this vulnerability would allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code within the privileged context of the Gemini panel. This could lead to severe consequences, including:

• Starting the camera and microphone without user consent.
• Accessing local files and directories on the operating system.
• Taking screenshots of any HTTPS website.
• Launching sophisticated phishing attacks using the trusted Gemini panel interface.

These actions could be performed with minimal user interaction, requiring only that the user open the Gemini panel.

Unit 42 responsibly disclosed the vulnerability to Google in October 2025, and a patch was released in early January 2026.

This incident highlights the novel security challenges introduced by AI browser integrations and the importance of continuous monitoring as these technologies evolve.

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