CVE-2026-106419 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/07/2026
Use after free in ANGLE in Google Chrome on on Android prior to 155.0.8059.39 allowed a remote attacker to 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 an out-of-bounds use in the ANGLE graphics library within Google Chrome for Android represents a critical memory safety failure that undermines the browser's core isolation mechanisms. This flaw, classified under CWE-416 which denotes Use After Free, occurs when the application continues to reference a memory block after it has been freed or reallocated by the system. In this specific instance, the ANGLE component, which serves as the translation layer between web graphics APIs like WebGL and underlying native graphics drivers on Android devices, failed to properly manage the lifecycle of certain graphical resources. When a remote attacker crafts an HTML page containing malicious JavaScript that triggers complex rendering operations, they can manipulate the timing of memory deallocation relative to subsequent access attempts. This precise race condition or logic error allows the browser to read from or write to memory locations that are no longer owned by the intended object, leading to undefined behavior within the graphics processing pipeline.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for arbitrary code execution outside the Chrome sandbox. Modern web browsers rely heavily on a multi-process architecture where each tab and plugin runs in a restricted environment known as a sandbox. This design ensures that even if an attacker successfully exploits a bug within a renderer process, they are confined to that isolated context and cannot easily access sensitive user data or compromise the underlying operating system. However, memory corruption vulnerabilities such as use-after-free can often be leveraged through heap spraying techniques and specific gadget chains to achieve arbitrary read/write primitives. By carefully crafting the exploit payload, an attacker can overwrite function pointers or control flow metadata in adjacent memory regions. This allows them to redirect execution flow to malicious shellcode placed elsewhere in memory, effectively breaking out of the sandbox boundary. Once outside this protective layer, the attacker gains full control over the Android device, potentially installing malware, stealing credentials, or establishing persistent access for further lateral movement within a networked environment.
From an industry standard perspective, this vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203 which covers Exploitation for Client Execution, specifically targeting web browsers as the initial attack vector. The exploitation path typically involves social engineering to lure users into visiting the crafted webpage or embedding it in a malicious advertisement via drive-by download tactics. The use of ANGLE highlights the complexity and risk associated with third-party graphics libraries that handle low-level memory operations. These components often operate at a higher privilege level than standard JavaScript engines, making any flaw within them particularly dangerous because they may interact directly with hardware drivers or system resources without the same level of sanitization applied to web content processing. The severity rating of High by Chromium security reflects the high likelihood of successful exploitation given the maturity of heap exploitation techniques and the critical nature of graphics rendering in modern web applications that increasingly rely on WebGL for performance-intensive tasks such as gaming, 3D modeling, and data visualization.
Mitigation strategies must focus primarily on timely patching to ensure all Android devices are updated to version 155.0.8059.39 or later where this memory management issue has been resolved by correcting the reference counting logic within ANGLE. For organizations deploying Chrome in enterprise environments, it is advisable to enforce automatic update policies and restrict user permissions to prevent manual downgrades that might expose devices to known vulnerabilities. Additionally, enabling sandbox hardening features such as Site Isolation can help mitigate the impact of any future exploits by ensuring that sensitive data is not shared across different origins even if a renderer process is compromised. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to unusual memory allocation patterns or unexpected network connections originating from browser processes, which may signal an active exploitation attempt. Regular security audits and static analysis tools integrated into the development pipeline can help detect similar use-after-free conditions before they reach production builds, thereby reducing the attack surface associated with complex graphics libraries like ANGLE.