CVE-2026-113281 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/21/2026
Memory corruption in SiteIsolation 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: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/22/2026
The vulnerability identified involves a memory corruption flaw within the Site Isolation component of Google Chrome, specifically in versions prior to 156.0.8078.47. This defect represents a critical failure in the browser's process isolation mechanisms, which are designed to separate browsing contexts from different origins into distinct processes. By compromising this boundary, an attacker can bypass security controls that rely on separating untrusted content from trusted system resources or other tabs. The issue arises when Chrome fails to properly manage memory allocation and deallocation during the handling of specific HTML structures, leading to conditions such as use-after-free or buffer overflow within the sandboxed renderer process.
From a technical perspective, this flaw allows for arbitrary code execution by exploiting the improper validation of data passed between different security boundaries. When a user visits a maliciously crafted webpage containing specially constructed HTML elements, the browser's rendering engine processes these inputs without sufficient checks on memory integrity. This oversight enables an attacker to corrupt internal data structures used by Site Isolation, potentially gaining control over instruction pointers or return addresses within the sandboxed environment. Although Chrome employs multiple layers of defense including hardware-level sandboxing and address space layout randomization, this specific vulnerability provides a pathway to escape these protections under certain conditions, allowing code execution with the privileges of the compromised process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant due to its remote exploitability via standard web interactions. A successful exploitation requires no user interaction beyond visiting the malicious URL or having it auto-load through scripts on another site if cross-site scripting vectors are present in conjunction with this flaw. The ability to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox elevates the threat from simple data theft to full system compromise, as attackers can leverage subsequent privilege escalation techniques to break out of the browser's restricted environment and access sensitive files, credentials, or network configurations on the host machine. This aligns closely with CWE-120 Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input and CWE-416 Use After Free, which are common root causes for memory corruption vulnerabilities in complex software systems like web browsers.
In terms of threat modeling, this vulnerability maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to initial access via browser exploitation and lateral movement through compromised processes. Attackers can utilize such flaws as part of a broader campaign involving drive-by downloads or malicious advertising networks where users are redirected without explicit consent. The medium severity rating assigned by Chromium reflects the balance between the complexity required to exploit the flaw reliably across different platforms versus the high impact achieved upon successful exploitation, particularly given the widespread usage of Chrome and its derivatives like Microsoft Edge and Opera.
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 checks have been hardened. Organizations should enforce automated patching policies for endpoint devices to minimize the window of exposure. Additionally, users can employ browser hardening techniques such as disabling JavaScript in untrusted sites using extensions like NoScript, although this may impact usability. Security teams should also monitor network traffic for indicators of compromise associated with known exploit kits that target Chrome vulnerabilities and ensure that endpoint detection and response solutions are updated to recognize behavioral patterns consistent with memory corruption exploitation attempts. Regular security audits and penetration testing focusing on web application logic can further reduce the risk surface by identifying potential vectors where such browser flaws might be leveraged in conjunction with other weaknesses.