CVE-2026-113263 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Use after free in Core in Google Chrome on on Android 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: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/21/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free condition within the core components of Google Chrome on Android, specifically affecting versions prior to 156.0.8078.47, represents a critical memory management flaw that can lead to remote code execution. This type of error occurs when an application continues to use a pointer after the memory it points to has been freed and potentially reallocated for other purposes. In the context of web browsers like Chrome, such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they reside in high-privilege processes or core rendering engines that handle untrusted content from the internet. The presence of this flaw indicates a failure in the browser's internal reference counting mechanisms or lifecycle management logic, allowing an attacker to manipulate memory states in ways that bypass standard safety checks designed to isolate web content.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities exploit the gap between when memory is deallocated and when references to that memory are cleared or invalidated. When a crafted HTML page triggers this condition, it can cause the browser to read from or write to freed heap memory. If an attacker carefully controls the data written into this reallocated memory region, they may achieve arbitrary code execution by overwriting function pointers, virtual table entries, or other critical control flow structures within the Chrome process. This exploitation technique allows malicious scripts embedded in a webpage to escape the browser's sandbox environment, which is designed to restrict web content from accessing sensitive system resources and user data. The Chromium security severity rating of Medium reflects that while the vulnerability requires specific conditions to exploit successfully, its potential impact on system integrity is significant due to the privilege level at which it operates within the browser architecture.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple application crashes or denial of service scenarios typical of many memory corruption bugs. Successful exploitation enables a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Chrome process running on the Android device. This can lead to full system compromise if additional vulnerabilities are chained together, allowing access to private user data such as saved passwords, cookies, browsing history, and sensitive documents stored locally or synced via Google services. Furthermore, because this affects mobile devices where users often engage in banking, shopping, and accessing personal communications, the risk profile is elevated compared to desktop environments due to the intimate nature of smartphone usage and the potential for persistent malware installation that can monitor user activity across applications.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating the browser software immediately to version 156.0.8078.47 or later, where Google has implemented fixes to ensure proper memory deallocation sequences and strengthened checks against dangling pointer access. Users should enable automatic updates for Chrome on Android to receive security patches promptly as they are released. For organizations managing fleets of devices, enforcing strict update policies through mobile device management solutions is essential to reduce the window of exposure. Additionally, users can mitigate risk by avoiding interaction with untrusted or suspicious websites that may contain crafted HTML designed to trigger memory corruption bugs. While browser sandboxing provides a layer of defense, it is not impenetrable against sophisticated use-after-free exploits, making timely patching the most effective countermeasure.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-416, which describes Use After Free conditions where software continues to use memory after it has been freed. In terms of attack tactics, this falls under MITRE ATT&CK technique T1203, specifically referencing Exploitation for Client Execution, as the attacker relies on user interaction with a malicious webpage to trigger code execution within the client application. Understanding these classifications helps security teams prioritize remediation efforts and monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of exploitation targeting similar memory management flaws in widely deployed software components. The resolution underscores the importance of rigorous static analysis and fuzzing during browser development cycles to detect such lifecycle errors before they reach end users, thereby maintaining trust in web-based interactions on mobile platforms.