CVE-2026-17924
Summary
by MITRE • 07/30/2026
Use after free in DNS in Google Chrome prior to 151.0.7922.72 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Low)
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/30/2026
This vulnerability represents a use-after-free condition in the dns resolution component of google chrome browser prior to version 151.0.7922.72 which falls under the common weakness enumeration category CWE-416. The flaw occurs when the browser's renderer process handles dns requests and subsequently frees memory that is still being referenced by other components within the same process. This type of memory corruption vulnerability creates a potential pathway for sandbox escape attacks where an attacker who has already compromised the renderer process can exploit this weakness to gain elevated privileges and potentially break out of the restricted sandbox environment. The chromium security severity rating of low indicates that while the vulnerability is not considered critical, it still poses significant risks given the privileged context in which it operates.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the dns resolution subsystem within chrome's renderer process where memory allocation and deallocation patterns create opportunities for dangling pointer references. When a dns query is processed and subsequently freed from memory, but other parts of the code continue to reference that memory location, attackers can manipulate the freed memory to contain malicious data or redirect execution flow. This particular weakness is particularly dangerous because it operates within the renderer process which already has access to web content and user data, making it a prime target for privilege escalation attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption as it enables a sophisticated attack vector that leverages existing compromise to achieve broader system access. Even though the attacker must first gain access to the renderer process through other means such as a cross-site scripting attack or malicious content delivery, the use-after-free condition allows them to escalate their privileges within the browser sandbox. This type of vulnerability aligns with the attack pattern described in the attack tree framework where an initial compromise is used to gain additional capabilities that can lead to system-wide access. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly isolated memory management issues can create significant security implications when combined with modern browser architectures that rely heavily on process isolation and sandboxing.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability focus primarily on updating to the patched version of google chrome where the memory management issues have been addressed through proper reference counting and memory lifecycle management. The fix typically involves ensuring that all dns related memory allocations are properly tracked and that references are invalidated immediately upon deallocation. Additionally, browser vendors should implement additional runtime checks such as heap corruption detection mechanisms and address space layout randomization to make exploitation more difficult. Organizations should also consider implementing network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual dns query patterns or memory access anomalies that might indicate exploitation attempts. The remediation process requires comprehensive testing to ensure that the patched version does not introduce regressions in dns resolution functionality while maintaining the security improvements. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of how critical proper memory management is in modern browser security architectures and reinforces the need for continuous security auditing of core components.