CVE-2026-113205 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Use after free in Variations 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 Google Chrome, specifically affecting versions prior to 156.0.8078.47, represents a critical memory management error that undermines the browser's integrity and security posture. This type of defect occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after it has been freed from memory, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited by malicious actors. In this specific instance, the flaw resides within the Variations component of Chromium, which is responsible for handling user experience improvements and telemetry data collection mechanisms. The presence of such an error indicates a lapse in proper reference counting or lifecycle management during the processing of internal state changes related to variation assignments.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they allow attackers to manipulate memory contents that have been deallocated but not yet reallocated for other purposes. When Chrome processes a crafted HTML page designed to trigger this specific code path, it fails to properly invalidate the pointer or check its validity before accessing the associated data structure. This allows an attacker who controls the content of the freed memory region to dictate what values are read or written during subsequent operations. The exploitation chain typically involves triggering the initial free operation through a sequence of DOM manipulations or JavaScript executions embedded within the malicious HTML page, followed by actions that cause the browser to access the stale pointer while it still points to attacker-controlled data in the heap.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for remote code execution inside the sandboxed renderer process. Although Chrome employs a multi-process architecture with strict sandboxes designed to limit the damage caused by exploits, successful exploitation of this use-after-free condition can allow an attacker to bypass these protections under certain conditions or leverage additional primitives to escape the sandbox entirely. Once arbitrary code is executed within the context of the browser's processes, it grants the attacker significant control over the victim's system environment. This could lead to data theft, installation of malware, or further lateral movement within a network if the compromised machine serves as an entry point for broader attacks.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) category CWE-416, which describes use after free errors resulting from improper memory management practices. In terms of offensive security frameworks, this exploit scenario maps to MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203, specifically the exploitation for client execution phase where attackers leverage software vulnerabilities in end-user applications like web browsers to gain initial access and execute code on target systems. The medium severity rating assigned by Chromium reflects the complexity required to reliably trigger the flaw versus the high impact of successful remote code execution within a privileged context relative to typical browser constraints.
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 patching and improved validation checks in the Variations module. For organizations unable to immediately update all endpoints, implementing strict content security policies can help mitigate some risks by restricting the execution of untrusted scripts that might attempt to trigger such vulnerabilities. Additionally, deploying browser isolation solutions or web filtering technologies can prevent users from accessing maliciously crafted pages hosted on external domains until patches are applied across the enterprise environment. Continuous monitoring for anomalous network traffic and process behavior may also aid in detecting attempts to exploit this specific class of memory corruption flaws before they result in full system compromise.