CVE-2026-113179 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Use after free in Paint 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: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free flaw within the Paint component of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47 represents a critical memory management error that compromises the integrity and confidentiality of user data. This specific class of vulnerabilities occurs when an application continues to reference a pointer after the memory it points to has been freed, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited by malicious actors. In this instance, the flaw resides in the rendering engine responsible for handling graphical operations, specifically within the Paint subsystem which manages how visual elements are drawn on the screen. When a crafted HTML page is loaded, it triggers a sequence of events where memory allocated for paint-related structures is deallocated prematurely or incorrectly while still being referenced by other parts of the browser's execution context. This discrepancy allows an attacker to manipulate the state of freed memory, potentially overwriting adjacent data structures with controlled values.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they provide attackers with arbitrary read and write primitives within the process space of the application. By carefully crafting the HTML content, including specific CSS properties or JavaScript interactions that trigger the painting logic, an attacker can control what data is written into the freed memory region. This capability enables the construction of a heap spray attack or similar exploitation technique designed to achieve code execution. The severity rating of High by Chromium security reflects the likelihood and impact of this exploit path, as it directly targets the core rendering pipeline which processes untrusted web content daily. Such flaws are often difficult to detect through static analysis alone due to their reliance on complex timing conditions and heap state management during dynamic page rendering.
The operational impact of successfully exploiting this vulnerability is severe, allowing a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the browser's sandboxed environment. While Chrome employs multiple layers of security isolation such as site-isolation and process separation, achieving initial code execution within any component can serve as a stepping stone for further privilege escalation or escape from the sandbox if additional vulnerabilities are present in sequence. An exploited instance could lead to full system compromise depending on the user's privileges and the presence of other mitigations like DEP or ASLR. Attackers typically leverage such flaws through phishing campaigns, malicious advertisements, or compromised websites where victims are lured into visiting a specially crafted URL that hosts the exploit code.
To mitigate this risk, users must ensure they are running Google Chrome version 156.0.8078.47 or later, as these updates include patches for the underlying memory management logic in the Paint component. Administrators should enforce automatic update policies to minimize exposure windows where older versions remain vulnerable. From a defensive engineering standpoint, this incident underscores the importance of rigorous heap sanitization and bounds checking within rendering engines. Industry standards such as CWE-416 classify use-after-free errors under improper reference handling, highlighting the need for robust lifecycle management in software components that process external input. Furthermore, defense-in-depth strategies including enabling Chrome's Site Isolation feature can help contain potential exploits to a single renderer process, limiting the blast radius of any successful exploitation attempt. Security teams should also monitor for indicators of compromise related to unusual memory allocation patterns or unexpected network connections originating from browser processes, which may signal active exploitation attempts against unpatched systems.