CVE-2026-113135 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Memory corruption in PictureInPicture in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.47 allowed a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as a memory corruption flaw within the PictureInPicture feature of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47 represents a significant risk to browser integrity and user data confidentiality. This specific component, responsible for managing picture-in-picture video playback overlays, contained an implementation error that allowed for improper handling of memory allocation or deallocation processes. When a remote attacker constructs a malicious HTML page designed to exploit this flaw, they can trigger the corruption during the rendering or state management of the media overlay. The severity is classified as High by Chromium security standards because it bypasses standard sandboxing protections through code execution rather than mere data leakage, potentially allowing an adversary to gain control over the browser process context.
From a technical perspective, memory corruption vulnerabilities such as this typically involve issues like use-after-free conditions, buffer overflows, or heap spraying techniques that manipulate internal pointers within the Chromium engine. In the case of PictureInPicture, the flaw likely stems from incorrect reference counting or lifecycle management of video elements when they are minimized to an overlay window. An attacker can craft a webpage containing specific JavaScript and HTML structures that force the browser into a state where memory is freed while still being referenced by another part of the application. This discrepancy allows for arbitrary read or write operations within the process memory space, which serves as the primary vector for executing arbitrary code. The exploitation requires user interaction to load the crafted page, but once triggered, it can lead to full compromise of the browser session if sandbox escape techniques are subsequently employed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, particularly in environments where users frequently engage with multimedia content from untrusted sources or compromised websites. Successful exploitation enables a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code within the context of the Chrome process. Although modern browsers employ robust sandboxing mechanisms that restrict access to critical system resources, achieving initial code execution inside the sandbox is often sufficient for further attacks such as keylogging, session hijacking, or lateral movement if additional vulnerabilities are present in the operating system or other browser extensions. The ability to execute arbitrary code means an attacker could install malware, exfiltrate sensitive browsing data including cookies and passwords, or use the compromised machine as a pivot point for network-based attacks against internal infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve immediate software updates to ensure that all instances of Google Chrome are upgraded to version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where these memory management issues have been rectified by the Chromium development team. In addition to patching, organizations should enforce strict content security policies and utilize browser hardening techniques such as disabling unnecessary plugins that might interact with media playback features if they are not required for business operations. Security awareness training is also critical to educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites or clicking on suspicious links containing embedded multimedia elements. Furthermore, deploying endpoint detection and response solutions can help identify anomalous behavior indicative of exploitation attempts, such as unexpected child processes spawned by Chrome or unusual memory access patterns associated with browser binaries.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-120 Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input which often underlies many memory corruption issues in C and C++ based applications like Chromium. It also maps to the MITRE ATT&CK framework technique T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution, where attackers leverage software vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on a victim's device. Understanding these mappings helps security teams prioritize remediation efforts and align their defense strategies with industry-standard threat models. Continuous monitoring of browser update notifications and maintaining an automated patch management system are essential practices to mitigate the window of exposure associated with such high-severity flaws in widely used web browsers.