CVE-2026-113068 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Use after free in Input 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 a use-after-free error within the input handling mechanisms of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47 represents a critical memory management flaw that compromises the integrity of the browser's sandboxing architecture. This specific class of defect occurs when the application continues to reference a memory block after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited by malicious actors. In this context, the vulnerability resides in how Chrome processes input data from web pages, specifically within components responsible for parsing and managing user interface elements or form inputs. When an attacker crafts a specific HTML page containing malformed or specially constructed input sequences, they can trigger conditions where memory is deallocated prematurely while references to that same memory region remain active in the application's execution context.
From a technical perspective, this flaw aligns with CWE-416, which defines use-after-free as accessing memory after it has been freed. The exploitation of such vulnerabilities typically involves manipulating the heap state so that when the dangling pointer is dereferenced, it points to attacker-controlled data rather than valid application structures. This manipulation allows for arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser process. Although Chrome employs a multi-process architecture with sandboxing designed to restrict the privileges of renderer processes, sophisticated exploitation techniques can bypass these protections by leveraging kernel vulnerabilities or other privilege escalation paths triggered by the initial memory corruption. The Chromium security team has classified this issue as medium severity, indicating that while it is exploitable under specific conditions, additional steps may be required for full remote code execution compared to high-severity issues that offer more direct exploitation vectors.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant because it enables a remote attacker to execute arbitrary commands on the victim's system through a simple interaction with a malicious website. By hosting or linking to a crafted HTML page, an adversary can initiate the exploit chain without requiring any prior access to the target machine or user credentials beyond visiting the site. This capability undermines the fundamental security model of web browsers, which rely on isolation between different sites and processes to prevent cross-site scripting and code injection attacks from escalating into full system compromise. Successful exploitation could lead to data theft, installation of malware, or use of the compromised device as part of a botnet, depending on the payload delivered by the attacker after gaining execution privileges.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome to version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where these memory management issues have been addressed through improved pointer validation and lifecycle tracking mechanisms. Users should ensure automatic updates are enabled to receive patches promptly as they become available. For organizations managing large deployments of browsers, centralized update policies must be enforced to minimize the window of exposure. Additionally, security awareness training can help users identify suspicious links or websites that might attempt to exploit such vulnerabilities, although technical controls remain the most effective defense against automated exploitation attempts. Monitoring for anomalous browser behavior and employing endpoint detection and response solutions with signatures targeting known Chrome exploits can also provide an additional layer of defense in depth.
This incident highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining secure software ecosystems where complex memory management is required across millions of lines of code. It reinforces the importance of rigorous static analysis, fuzzing, and formal verification techniques during development to detect such defects before deployment. The classification under ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for client execution, underscores the threat actor's objective of leveraging software vulnerabilities to gain initial access or persistence on target systems. Continuous monitoring of vulnerability databases and proactive patch management remain essential practices for mitigating risks associated with zero-day and recently disclosed exploits in widely used applications like web browsers.