CVE-2026-110136 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/13/2026
Use after free in PDF in Google Chrome prior to 155.0.8059.79 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Critical)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/14/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free condition within the PDF handling component of Google Chrome prior to version 155.0.8059.79 represents a critical memory corruption flaw that undermines the browser's sandboxing mechanisms. This specific class of vulnerabilities arises when software continues to reference a pointer after its associated memory has been freed and potentially reallocated for other purposes. In the context of Chromium-based browsers, such flaws are particularly dangerous because they can allow an attacker to manipulate internal data structures or execute arbitrary code by controlling the content that is written into the reused memory block. The severity rating of Critical from the Chromium security team underscores the potential for complete system compromise rather than a mere denial of service or minor information leak.
The technical root cause lies in the lifecycle management of objects within the PDF rendering engine. When a crafted HTML page containing maliciously constructed PDF content is loaded, the browser's parser may deallocate certain internal structures prematurely while retaining references to them elsewhere in the execution flow. If an attacker can control what data fills that freed memory region before it is accessed again, they can achieve arbitrary read and write primitives. This capability effectively bypasses the sandbox boundaries designed to isolate web content from the host operating system. By exploiting this condition, a remote attacker could execute code with the privileges of the user running the browser, leading to full system compromise including data theft, malware installation, or lateral movement within a network environment.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to users who visit malicious websites or open compromised PDF files embedded in web pages. The attack vector is remote and requires no special privileges from the victim other than browsing with the affected version of Chrome. The presence of such a flaw indicates that input validation and memory management checks within the PDF module were insufficient for this specific edge case. Attackers can craft HTML payloads that trigger the flawed code path automatically upon page load, often without requiring user interaction beyond visiting the site or clicking on an embedded element. This ease of exploitation makes it a high-priority target for automated web-based attack campaigns and drive-by download techniques commonly seen in advanced persistent threat operations.
To mitigate this risk, organizations and individual users must ensure that Google Chrome is updated to version 155.0.8059.79 or later immediately upon availability. This update contains the necessary patches to correct the memory management logic within the PDF component, ensuring that pointers are properly nullified after deallocation and preventing access to freed memory regions. Additionally, security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability in network logs and endpoint detection systems. Implementing strict content security policies and restricting the execution of untrusted scripts can provide an additional layer of defense, although relying solely on these controls is insufficient given the critical nature of the underlying flaw. Regular patch management cycles are essential to address such high-severity vulnerabilities before they can be widely exploited in the wild.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-416, which describes use after free errors where a pointer references memory that has already been freed. It also maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to execution and privilege escalation, specifically leveraging browser vulnerabilities for initial access and sandbox escape. Understanding these mappings helps security professionals categorize the threat correctly within their risk management frameworks and prioritize remediation efforts accordingly. The incident highlights the ongoing challenge of maintaining robust memory safety in complex software systems like web browsers, where handling untrusted third-party content requires rigorous validation and secure coding practices to prevent exploitation through subtle logic errors.