CVE-2026-113197 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Use after free in Forms 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 flaw within the Forms component of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.47 represents a critical memory management error that can be leveraged by remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution. This type of defect occurs when an application continues to use a pointer after the memory it points to has been freed, often leading to undefined behavior that security researchers and threat actors exploit for malicious purposes. In this specific instance, the flaw resides in how Chrome handles form-related data structures during rendering or processing operations. When a crafted HTML page is loaded, the browser may deallocate certain internal objects associated with form elements while retaining references to those same objects elsewhere in memory. If an attacker can control the content of these freed memory regions through subsequent allocations triggered by malicious scripts within the crafted page, they can manipulate the data that the dangling pointer accesses. This manipulation allows for precise control over program execution flow, potentially leading to the injection and execution of arbitrary code within the browser process context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its remote exploitability via a simple web interaction. A victim does not need to perform any complex actions beyond visiting or loading a maliciously crafted HTML page hosted on an attacker-controlled server. The presence of sandboxing in modern browsers like Chrome provides a layer of defense by restricting the privileges of renderer processes, but use-after-free vulnerabilities often provide mechanisms for attackers to escape these sandboxes through sophisticated exploitation techniques such as heap spraying and arbitrary read-write primitives. Once code execution is achieved within the browser process, particularly if the attacker can bypass additional security mitigations or exploit secondary flaws in adjacent components, they may gain access to sensitive user data, install malware, or use the compromised machine as a pivot point for further network attacks. The Chromium project has classified this issue with a medium severity rating, indicating that while it is exploitable and poses significant risk, there may be certain constraints or mitigations in place that make exploitation more difficult compared to high-severity vulnerabilities.
From a technical classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-416, which describes Use After Free conditions where memory is accessed after being freed without proper reinitialization or nullification of the pointer. This category of bugs is notoriously difficult to detect during static analysis and often requires dynamic debugging tools like AddressSanitizer for identification during development. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this vulnerability facilitates techniques associated with MITRE ATT&CK T1203, specifically Exploitation for Client Execution, where attackers rely on user interaction or automated browsing sessions to trigger the exploit chain. The attack vector is classified as remote (ATT&CK T1190), meaning it can be initiated from across a network boundary without requiring local access or physical presence at the target machine.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome to version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where these memory management issues have been addressed by developers through rigorous code reviews and automated fuzzing tests that identify dangling pointer scenarios before they reach production builds. For organizations unable to immediately patch all endpoints, implementing strict content security policies can help mitigate the risk of executing arbitrary scripts from untrusted sources. Additionally, deploying browser isolation solutions or web filtering technologies that block access to known malicious domains or suspicious HTML structures containing complex form manipulations can reduce the attack surface. Security teams should also ensure that endpoint detection and response systems are configured to monitor for unusual memory allocation patterns or process behavior indicative of exploitation attempts targeting browser vulnerabilities. Regular monitoring of vulnerability databases and prompt application of security patches remain the most effective defense against such remote code execution threats.