CVE-2026-113033 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Use after free in Streaming in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.47 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-XXXX, affecting Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47, represents a critical memory safety flaw within the browser's streaming media handling subsystem. This issue is classified as an out-of-bounds use or use-after-free error, specifically occurring during the processing of multimedia streams. In modern web browsers like Chrome, which utilize multi-process architecture to isolate different components for security, the renderer process handles complex tasks such as parsing HTML and executing JavaScript, while higher-privilege processes manage system resources. The flaw arises when a pointer to a memory block is used after that block has been freed by another part of the application logic. This typically happens due to a race condition or improper lifecycle management where an object remains referenced in one context even though its underlying memory has been deallocated and potentially reallocated for other purposes.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability falls under CWE-416, which defines use after free as accessing memory that has already been freed by the program. In the context of Chromium's media pipeline, streaming operations involve complex state machines managing buffers, codecs, and network sockets. If an attacker can trigger a scenario where a stream object is destroyed while still being accessed or manipulated via JavaScript APIs or internal callbacks, they gain control over how that memory is interpreted. Since Chrome employs sandboxing to restrict the privileges of renderer processes, this vulnerability was rated as medium severity in Chromium's security model because it requires escaping the sandbox to achieve arbitrary code execution. However, if an attacker can craft a malicious HTML page that exploits this race condition effectively, they may be able to manipulate heap metadata or overwrite function pointers within the freed memory region.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe for end-users who visit compromised websites. An attacker could host a specially crafted webpage containing JavaScript code designed to trigger the streaming logic flaw repeatedly until the desired memory state is achieved. By carefully controlling the contents written into the reused memory, an attacker can achieve arbitrary read and write primitives within the renderer process. This capability allows for further exploitation steps such as sandbox escape techniques, which leverage additional vulnerabilities or browser bugs to gain execution in a higher-privilege context, potentially leading to full system compromise on the victim's machine. The attack vector is remote, requiring no user interaction beyond visiting the malicious site, although modern browsers often include mitigations like ASLR and DEP that make exploitation more difficult but not impossible for sophisticated threat actors.
This type of vulnerability aligns with MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers Exploitation for Client Execution, specifically through browser-based attacks. It also relates to CWE-787, out-of-bounds write, if the use-after-free leads to memory corruption that allows writing outside intended boundaries. To mitigate this risk, users must ensure their browsers are updated to version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where Google has implemented fixes for the lifecycle management of streaming objects and added stricter checks on pointer validity before dereferencing them in media processing pipelines. Additionally, organizations should enforce strict content security policies and consider deploying browser isolation solutions that further restrict what web pages can execute locally, reducing the attack surface available to such exploits. Regular patching cycles are essential as memory corruption vulnerabilities remain a primary vector for drive-by download attacks targeting enterprise environments.