CVE-2026-113116 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Use after free in DevTools in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.47 allowed a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Low)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free condition within the DevTools component of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47 represents a critical memory management error that undermines the browser's sandboxing mechanisms. This flaw arises when an object is deallocated from memory but remains accessible through dangling pointers, allowing subsequent operations to interact with freed or uninitialized memory regions. In the context of Chrome’s DevTools, which provides debugging and development capabilities for web applications, such errors can be triggered by maliciously crafted HTML pages that exploit specific timing conditions or state transitions within the developer tools interface. The severity is classified as low by Chromium security standards due to the complexity required to reliably trigger the vulnerability in a real-world scenario, yet it remains significant because it bypasses standard sandbox protections.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities are among the most dangerous classes of memory corruption bugs because they can lead to arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges. When an attacker crafts an HTML page that induces Chrome’s DevTools to free a specific object while retaining references to it, subsequent access to those references allows for controlled reads and writes to arbitrary memory locations. This capability enables the exploitation of heap metadata or function pointers, potentially leading to control flow hijacking. The attack vector is remote, meaning no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage is required, although successful exploitation may depend on specific browser configurations or enabled features within DevTools that are not always active by default in standard browsing sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage. If successfully exploited, an attacker could execute arbitrary code outside the Chrome sandbox, effectively gaining control over the user’s system with the same privileges as the browser process. This compromises the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive information processed within the browser environment. Furthermore, it undermines trust in web-based development tools, which are often used to handle proprietary or confidential application logic during debugging sessions. The existence of such vulnerabilities highlights the inherent risks associated with complex software components that manage dynamic memory allocation under varying states and user interactions.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome to version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where these memory management issues have been addressed through rigorous code reviews and automated fuzzing techniques. Developers should also ensure that DevTools features are disabled in production environments unless explicitly required for debugging purposes, thereby reducing the attack surface available to remote attackers. Additionally, employing browser hardening measures such as enabling site isolation and utilizing content security policies can further restrict the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts by limiting cross-origin access and script execution contexts.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which describes use-after-free errors resulting from improper memory management practices in software development. It also maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203, specifically referencing exploit for client-side code injection or browser exploitation vectors that leverage vulnerabilities within web browsers to achieve initial access and privilege escalation. Understanding these classifications helps security teams prioritize patching efforts and implement appropriate monitoring controls to detect potential abuse of such memory corruption flaws in enterprise environments.