CVE-2026-118313 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/28/2026
Use after free in Video in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.73 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 • 10/28/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free condition within the Video component of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.73 represents a critical memory management error that allows for arbitrary code execution under specific conditions. This flaw stems from improper handling of object lifecycles in the browser's multimedia rendering engine, where a pointer to a video-related data structure is accessed after its associated memory has been deallocated and potentially reallocated for other purposes. When an attacker crafts a malicious HTML page containing specially constructed media elements or scripts that trigger this specific sequence of events, they can manipulate the contents of the freed memory region. By controlling what data occupies that reclaimed space before it is referenced again, the attacker gains the ability to overwrite critical pointers within the object structure, effectively hijacking control flow during subsequent operations such as playback initialization or frame rendering.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability falls under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-416, which defines use-after-free errors resulting from dangling pointer dereferences. The exploitation of this flaw relies on precise timing and memory layout manipulation to achieve arbitrary read-write primitives within the browser process context. Although Chrome employs robust sandboxing mechanisms designed to isolate web content from the operating system kernel and sensitive user data, a successful exploit can bypass these protections by leveraging the compromised renderer process to escalate privileges or execute native code payloads. The Chromium security team has classified this issue with high severity due to its potential for remote code execution without requiring any interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage, highlighting the significant risk posed to users who browse untrusted content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe, as it enables remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution within the sandboxed environment of the browser renderer. This capability can lead to full system compromise if additional exploitation techniques are employed to escape the sandbox boundary or if the compromised process interacts with less protected components. Attackers could potentially install malware, exfiltrate sensitive information such as cookies and session tokens, or use the infected machine as part of a botnet for further attacks. The existence of this flaw underscores the complexity of modern web browsers and the constant need to address low-level memory safety issues that arise from complex interactions between JavaScript engines, media decoders, and rendering pipelines.
To mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, it is imperative for all users running Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.73 to update their browsers immediately to the latest stable release where these memory management issues have been resolved through rigorous code review and automated fuzzing testing efforts by the Chromium team. Organizations should enforce strict browser update policies across all endpoints to ensure that security patches are applied promptly upon availability. Additionally, deploying endpoint detection and response solutions capable of monitoring for anomalous behavior in renderer processes can provide an additional layer of defense against exploitation attempts. Security administrators should also consider restricting access to untrusted web content through network-level controls or application whitelisting where feasible, reducing the attack surface available to potential adversaries seeking to leverage this type of memory corruption flaw.