CVE-2026-113115 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Use after free in Transactions Platform 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 condition within the Transactions Platform of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47 represents a critical memory safety flaw that undermines the browser's core isolation mechanisms. This specific defect occurs when an object is deallocated from memory but continues to be referenced by other parts of the application, leading to undefined behavior upon subsequent access. In the context of web browsers, such flaws are particularly dangerous because they can allow malicious actors to manipulate internal data structures in ways that bypass standard security controls. The Transactions Platform handles sensitive financial and payment-related operations within a sandboxed environment designed to limit the potential damage from compromised websites or scripts. When this platform fails to properly manage memory lifecycles, it creates an opportunity for attackers to exploit dangling pointers during page rendering or transaction processing phases.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities are classified under CWE-416 in the Common Weakness Enumeration framework. This category of errors arises when software continues to use a pointer after it has been freed, which can result in arbitrary code execution, crashes, or privilege escalation depending on how the memory is reallocated and accessed by subsequent operations. In Chrome's architecture, the sandbox restricts what processes running untrusted web content can do with system resources. However, if an attacker crafts a malicious HTML page that triggers this specific race condition or logic error within the Transactions Platform, they may gain control over the execution flow inside the sandboxed process. This effectively neutralizes one of the primary layers of defense in modern browser security models, allowing code to execute with higher privileges than intended by the application design.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for remote exploitation via a crafted HTML page. An attacker does not need physical access or user interaction beyond visiting a maliciously constructed website that hosts the exploit payload. Once triggered, the flaw allows for arbitrary code execution within the browser's sandboxed environment. While the sandbox provides significant protection against full system compromise, breaking out of it remains a high-value objective for threat actors. Successful exploitation could lead to data exfiltration, installation of malware, or further lateral movement within a network if the user is part of an enterprise environment. The Chromium security team has rated this issue as Medium severity, reflecting its potential impact while acknowledging that sandbox escape requires precise conditions and may not be trivially achievable in all scenarios.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating to Google Chrome version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where the memory management logic within the Transactions Platform has been corrected to prevent premature deallocation of objects still in use. Organizations should ensure that endpoint protection solutions are updated to detect potential exploitation attempts associated with this vulnerability class. Additionally, users and administrators can employ browser hardening techniques such as disabling JavaScript for untrusted sites or using extensions that restrict access to sensitive APIs like the Transactions Platform until patches are verified. From a defensive engineering standpoint, adopting memory-safe languages in future development cycles would significantly reduce the prevalence of such vulnerabilities. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this type of exploitation under T1203, which covers Exploitation for Client Execution, highlighting the importance of monitoring client-side application behavior and network traffic for signs of malicious script execution targeting browser components.