CVE-2026-19172 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/07/2026
Use after free in Views in Google Chrome prior to 151.0.7922.109 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Critical)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/07/2026
This vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free condition in the Views component of Google Chrome, specifically affecting versions prior to 151.0.7922.109. The flaw occurs within the browser's user interface rendering system where improper memory management allows an attacker to exploit a dangling pointer reference that persists after the original memory allocation has been freed. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions where memory is accessed after it has been deallocated, creating potential attack vectors for privilege escalation and sandbox bypass.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the Chrome renderer process where Views components handle user interface elements and their associated memory management. When a crafted HTML page triggers specific rendering behaviors, it can cause the system to free memory associated with a Views object while references to that object remain active in the execution flow. The attacker who has already compromised the renderer process through other means can leverage this condition to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges that would normally be restricted by Chrome's sandboxing mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it enables a remote attacker to potentially escape the sandbox confines that protect the browser from system-level attacks. Once an attacker achieves a sandbox escape, they gain access to broader system resources, file systems, and potentially other running processes. This represents a critical escalation in attack capabilities where initial compromise of the renderer process can lead to complete system takeover without requiring additional local privilege escalation techniques.
The security implications extend beyond traditional browser exploitation as this vulnerability demonstrates how memory management flaws in UI components can create pathways for privilege escalation attacks. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that specifically target the timing and execution flow of Views rendering, causing the application to access freed memory locations and potentially overwrite critical system structures or execute shellcode directly within the browser's memory space. The Chromium security severity rating of Critical reflects the high potential impact this vulnerability has on user systems.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch deployment to update Chrome to version 151.0.7922.109 or later where the memory management issues have been addressed through proper reference counting and object lifecycle management. Additionally, organizations should implement network-level protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems that can detect and block known malicious HTML patterns. Browser hardening measures including enhanced sandbox configurations and regular security updates form essential components of defense-in-depth strategies against such exploitation techniques. The vulnerability highlights the importance of rigorous memory safety practices in browser components and demonstrates how seemingly isolated UI rendering issues can create fundamental security weaknesses.
This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and script interpreter, where compromised renderer processes could execute malicious code through the use-after-free condition. It also maps to T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation, as the sandbox escape capability allows attackers to elevate their privileges beyond normal user restrictions. The exploitation pattern fits within the broader category of browser-based attack vectors that leverage memory corruption vulnerabilities to achieve system compromise.