CVE-2026-119269 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 10/30/2026
Use after free in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.79 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 • 10/30/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free flaw within the Blink rendering engine of Google Chrome prior to version 156.0.8078.79 represents a critical memory management error that compromises the integrity and confidentiality of user data. This specific class of vulnerabilities occurs when an application continues to use a pointer after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited by malicious actors. In this instance, the flaw resides within Blink, which is the core layout engine responsible for parsing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript in Chromium-based browsers. The presence of such a defect indicates a failure in proper memory lifecycle management where an object was deallocated but retained references or pointers to its previously allocated memory space were still accessible by other parts of the application logic.
An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by hosting a specially crafted HTML page designed to trigger the specific sequence of events that leads to the premature freeing of a critical Blink internal structure while retaining active references to it. When the browser processes this malicious content, particularly during complex rendering operations or dynamic DOM manipulation, the use-after-free condition is triggered. This allows for arbitrary read and write access to memory regions that should be protected by the sandbox environment. The ability to perform arbitrary writes enables an attacker to overwrite function pointers or object vtables, which can subsequently lead to arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser process.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its potential for remote code execution via a web page. Although modern browsers employ robust sandboxing mechanisms designed to isolate renderer processes from the operating system and user files, successful exploitation of a high-severity use-after-free can potentially escape these sandboxes or cause significant damage within the restricted environment. This could result in the installation of malware, theft of sensitive information such as cookies and session tokens stored by the browser, or further lateral movement if additional vulnerabilities are chained together. The Chromium security severity rating of High underscores the likelihood and potential impact of successful exploitation under typical browsing conditions where users may inadvertently visit maliciously crafted sites or be subjected to drive-by download attacks.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which describes Use After Free errors in software development. It also maps closely to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to memory corruption and privilege escalation within the context of client-side exploitation. The attack vector is classified as remote because it requires no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage or having such content loaded automatically through other means like cross-site scripting if combined with additional flaws. This highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser versions to ensure that patches for known memory safety issues are applied promptly.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome to version 156.0.8078.79 or later, which contains fixes addressing this specific use-after-free condition within Blink. Organizations should enforce automated patch management policies to ensure all endpoints running Chromium-based browsers receive security updates immediately upon release. Additionally, users can employ browser hardening techniques such as disabling JavaScript on untrusted sites using extensions like NoScript or configuring enterprise-level policies that restrict the execution of potentially dangerous scripts. Monitoring network traffic for unusual outbound connections following visits to unknown domains may also help in detecting potential exploitation attempts before significant damage occurs.