CVE-2026-79064 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Use after free in Network in Google Chrome on on Mac prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker leveraging social engineering to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted Chrome extension. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability described is a use-after-free error within the Network component of Google Chrome on Mac, specifically affecting versions prior to 152.0.797.65. This class of memory corruption flaw occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after it has been freed from memory, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited by an attacker. In this specific instance, the vulnerability resides in the network handling subsystem, which is responsible for managing HTTP requests and responses within the browser environment. The severity of this issue is classified as Medium by Chromium security standards, indicating a significant risk but one that typically requires additional conditions or user interaction to achieve full exploitation potential.
The operational impact of this vulnerability allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code outside the sandboxed environment in which Chrome normally operates. Modern browsers rely heavily on sandboxes to isolate web content from the underlying operating system and sensitive user data. By exploiting a use-after-free condition, an attacker can manipulate memory structures such that when the freed memory is reallocated for legitimate purposes, it contains malicious payloads or control flow hijacking instructions. This effectively breaks out of the restrictive sandbox boundaries, granting the attacker elevated privileges on the host machine. The attack vector involves social engineering, meaning the victim must be tricked into installing a crafted Chrome extension. Once installed, this malicious extension can trigger the vulnerable code path within the network component, leading to remote code execution.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they allow for arbitrary read and write operations in memory if the attacker controls what data is written into the freed region before it is reused. This capability enables heap spraying techniques or targeted overwrites of function pointers and object vtables. In the context of Chrome extensions, which run with higher privileges than standard web pages but still within a sandboxed environment, exploiting this flaw allows the extension to bypass these restrictions. The attacker crafts an extension that interacts with the network module in a way that triggers the premature freeing of memory objects while maintaining references to them. When subsequent operations access these dangling pointers, they interact with corrupted or attacker-controlled data structures, facilitating code execution.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which defines use-after-free as an error where software uses memory after it has been freed. It also relates to ATT&CK technique T1059, Command and Scripting Interpreter, specifically through the mechanism of browser extension abuse for initial access or privilege escalation. The reliance on social engineering highlights the importance of user awareness in mitigating such risks, as technical controls alone cannot prevent a user from voluntarily installing malicious software. However, robust sandboxing mechanisms are designed to contain such exploits; therefore, successful exploitation indicates a failure in these containment strategies due to the specific memory corruption flaw.
Mitigation for this vulnerability primarily involves updating Google Chrome to version 152.0.797.65 or later, where the underlying memory management issues have been addressed by developers through proper pointer invalidation and lifecycle management fixes. Organizations should enforce strict policies regarding the installation of third-party extensions, ensuring that only vetted and trusted add-ons are permitted within corporate environments. Additionally, enabling automatic updates for browsers ensures that users receive security patches promptly as they become available. Security awareness training is also critical to educate employees about the risks associated with installing unverified browser extensions, thereby reducing the likelihood of successful social engineering attacks that leverage this vulnerability.