CVE-2026-119263 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2026
Memory corruption in GarbageCollection in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.79 allowed a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/30/2026
The vulnerability identified within the garbage collection subsystem of Google Chrome, specifically in versions prior to 156.0.8078.79, represents a critical memory corruption flaw that undermines the browser's core isolation mechanisms. Garbage collection is an essential automated memory management process responsible for reclaiming objects no longer referenced by running code. When this system encounters malformed or maliciously crafted input during its execution cycle, it can fail to properly manage heap allocations and deallocations. This failure leads to a state where pointers may reference freed memory regions or access uninitialized data structures, creating opportunities for an attacker to manipulate the internal state of the browser engine in unintended ways.
From a technical perspective, this flaw falls under the category of use-after-free vulnerabilities as defined by Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE-416). In such scenarios, the application continues to use memory after it has been freed, often because the garbage collector incorrectly assumes an object is still alive or fails to update references before deallocation. An attacker can exploit this race condition or logic error through a specially crafted HTML page that triggers specific JavaScript operations designed to force premature collection of critical objects while retaining active references to them. This discrepancy allows for arbitrary read and write primitives, which are foundational building blocks for more complex exploits targeting the browser's sandbox boundaries.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for remote code execution outside the security sandbox. Modern browsers employ a multi-process architecture where renderer processes run in restricted environments to limit the damage caused by compromised web pages. However, memory corruption bugs that allow an attacker to gain control over program flow or arbitrary memory writes can be leveraged to escape this confinement. By carefully crafting exploit chains that abuse the corrupted state within the garbage collector, an adversary could execute malicious code with higher privileges than those granted to standard web content, effectively breaking out of the sandbox and gaining access to the underlying operating system resources.
This type of attack aligns closely with techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly those related to execution on remote systems via browser exploitation. The ability to execute arbitrary code from a remotely hosted webpage means that users can be compromised simply by visiting a malicious site or clicking a link containing exploit code. This highlights the importance of timely patching and updates for all Chrome installations. Mitigation strategies primarily involve upgrading to version 156.0.8078.79 or later, where these memory management logic errors have been corrected. Additionally, users should ensure that browser sandboxing features remain enabled and consider employing additional security layers such as content policies and extension restrictions to further reduce the attack surface available to potential adversaries attempting to leverage similar vulnerabilities in other contexts.