CVE-2026-106211 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/06/2026
Use after free in TabStrip in Google Chrome prior to 155.0.8059.39 allowed a remote attacker leveraging social engineering to potentially execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free condition within the TabStrip component of Google Chrome prior to version 155.0.8059.39 represents a critical memory management error that compromises the integrity and confidentiality of the browsing environment. This specific flaw arises when the application fails to properly invalidate references to an object after its memory has been deallocated, allowing subsequent operations to access freed heap memory. In the context of Chrome’s architecture, the TabStrip is responsible for managing the user interface elements associated with open browser tabs, including their visual representation and state management. When a tab is closed or modified under specific conditions, the underlying data structures may be released while pointers or references within the UI layer remain active. This discrepancy creates a window where an attacker can manipulate the memory layout to execute arbitrary code by overwriting freed objects with malicious payloads that are subsequently interpreted as valid instructions or data structures by the browser engine.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability is classified under CWE-416, which denotes Use After Free errors. The exploitation of such flaws typically involves precise timing and heap grooming techniques to control the memory allocation patterns within the renderer process. By crafting an HTML page that triggers the specific sequence leading to the premature deallocation of TabStrip-related objects, a remote attacker can induce the browser to write data into controlled regions of memory. If successful, this allows for arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the compromised process. Although Chrome employs multiple sandboxing layers designed to restrict the impact of such exploits, use-after-free vulnerabilities in UI components like TabStrip have historically been leveraged to escape these sandboxes through complex chain attacks involving other browser subsystems or kernel-level primitives. The Chromium security severity rating of High reflects the potential for this flaw to be weaponized by sophisticated threat actors who can combine it with additional techniques to bypass isolation mechanisms and gain unauthorized access to system resources.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, particularly given its remote exploitability via social engineering vectors. An attacker does not need direct network access or authentication; instead, they only require the victim to visit a maliciously crafted webpage hosted on an external server. Once loaded, the page can automatically trigger the vulnerable code path without any user interaction beyond initial navigation, although some variants may rely on subtle prompts to lower suspicion. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, including data exfiltration, installation of persistent malware, or use of the infected machine as part of a botnet. The ability to execute code outside the sandbox significantly escalates the risk profile, as it undermines one of Chrome’s primary defense-in-depth strategies. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where browsers are often used for sensitive tasks such as accessing corporate intranets or handling confidential documents.
Mitigation efforts primarily focus on applying the latest security patches provided by Google to update Chromium-based browsers to version 155.0.8059.39 or later, which includes fixes that ensure proper lifecycle management of TabStrip objects and prevent access to freed memory regions. Organizations should enforce automated patching policies to minimize exposure windows for end-users. Additionally, security teams can implement browser hardening techniques such as disabling JavaScript execution on untrusted sites through content security policies or using extension-based restrictions to limit the capabilities of web pages. Monitoring network traffic for connections to known malicious domains and employing endpoint detection and response solutions that analyze process behavior for anomalies indicative of memory corruption attacks can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts leveraging this vulnerability.