CVE-2026-121052 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 11/03/2026
Use after free in GPU in Google Chrome prior to 157.0.8103.38 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 • 11/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free condition within the GPU subsystem of Google Chrome prior to version 157.0.8103.38 represents a critical memory management error that compromises the integrity of the browser's sandboxing mechanisms. This specific flaw arises when the application continues to reference a block of memory after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited by malicious actors. In the context of modern web browsers, the GPU process operates with elevated privileges relative to other renderer processes to facilitate hardware-accelerated rendering and video decoding. By targeting this specific component, an attacker bypasses the isolation boundaries designed to contain potential exploits within less privileged contexts.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a pointer is not properly invalidated after its associated memory has been deallocated. If an attacker can control the data written into that freed memory region before it is reallocated for another purpose, they may achieve arbitrary code execution. In this instance, the crafted HTML page likely triggers a sequence of events where GPU-related objects are destroyed while still being referenced by other active components or threads. This race condition or logic error allows the attacker to manipulate internal state variables or function pointers within the GPU process memory space. The severity is classified as high because successful exploitation grants code execution inside the sandbox, which significantly reduces the difficulty for an attacker compared to exploiting vulnerabilities in unprivileged renderer processes.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption or application crashes. Since the exploit targets the GPU process, it provides a pathway to escape the browser's security model more effectively than typical web-based attacks. An adversary could potentially access sensitive user data stored locally, such as cookies, cached credentials, and browsing history, without requiring additional privilege escalation steps on the host operating system. Furthermore, execution within this context may allow for further lateral movement or persistence mechanisms if combined with other vulnerabilities in the underlying graphics drivers or operating system kernel components that interact closely with GPU memory management units.
This incident aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-416, which describes use-after-free conditions as a primary cause of software instability and security breaches. It also maps to MITRE ATT&CK techniques involving initial access through browser exploitation and potentially privilege escalation depending on the specific kernel interactions enabled by the GPU process compromise. The existence of such flaws underscores the complexity of maintaining secure memory management in complex, multi-process architectures like Chromium-based browsers where multiple components share resources asynchronously.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating to Google Chrome version 157.0.8103.38 or later, which includes patches that enforce stricter lifecycle management for GPU objects and validate pointer validity before dereferencing. For organizations managing large fleets of devices, automated patch deployment systems should be configured to prioritize this update due to the high severity rating. Additionally, security teams should monitor network traffic for indicators of compromise associated with known exploit kits targeting browser vulnerabilities. Implementing strict content security policies and disabling unnecessary GPU acceleration features in controlled environments can provide an additional layer of defense-in-depth against similar memory corruption attacks until all endpoints are fully patched.