CVE-2026-106383 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/07/2026
Use after free in Media in Google Chrome prior to 155.0.8059.39 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside 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 flaw within the media subsystem of Google Chrome prior to version 155.0.8059.39 represents a critical memory safety issue that undermines the browser's sandboxing mechanisms. This type of error occurs when an application continues to use a pointer after the memory it points to has been freed, often leading to undefined behavior such as crashes or arbitrary code execution. In this specific instance, the flaw resides in the complex media handling components responsible for processing audio and video streams, which are frequently targeted by attackers due to their complexity and frequent interaction with external data sources like web pages.
A remote attacker could exploit this vulnerability by crafting a malicious HTML page that triggers the use-after-free condition within the Chrome browser's rendering engine when it processes specific media content or scripts associated with multimedia elements. The exploitation process typically involves manipulating object lifecycles so that memory is deallocated while still being referenced, allowing the attacker to control the contents of that freed memory region. By carefully crafting heap data structures and payloads, an attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser's sandboxed environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe because it allows for remote code execution without user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website or having such content loaded automatically via drive-by download techniques. Although Chrome employs multiple layers of security defenses including sandboxing, heap metadata protection, and control flow integrity measures, successful exploitation of a high-severity use-after-free flaw can potentially bypass these protections if the attacker manages to achieve precise memory corruption that evades detection mechanisms like ASLR or DEP. This could lead to full compromise of the user's system depending on how effectively the sandbox isolates browser processes from the underlying operating system resources.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-416 which describes use after free errors, and it maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to initial access through web-based attacks such as T1189 Drive-by Compromise or potentially execution via browser exploitation if the sandbox is bypassed. The Chromium project has classified this issue with a high security severity rating reflecting its potential for remote code execution and the widespread impact on users who rely on Chrome for daily browsing activities involving multimedia content.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating to Google Chrome version 155.0.8059.39 or later where these memory management issues have been addressed through rigorous code review, fuzzing, and patch deployment. Organizations should enforce automatic update policies to ensure all endpoints are running the latest stable release of the browser. Additionally, security teams can implement application whitelisting solutions like Google Chrome App Restrictions in enterprise environments to restrict execution of untrusted scripts or plugins that might trigger such vulnerabilities. Users should also exercise caution when visiting unfamiliar websites and consider using additional browser hardening extensions that limit script permissions or block potentially dangerous content types until patches are fully propagated across all user devices.