CVE-2026-79194 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Use after free in Chromoting in Google Chrome on on Windows prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via crafted network traffic. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-3896 represents a critical memory management flaw within the Chromoting component of Google Chrome, specifically affecting versions prior to 152.0.7977.65 on Windows operating systems. This issue is classified as an out-of-bounds write or use-after-free condition, which occurs when the application attempts to access memory that has already been deallocated by the system. In the context of Chromoting, a technology used for remote desktop sharing and screen casting within Chrome Enterprise environments, such a flaw can be triggered through specially crafted network traffic designed to manipulate internal state variables before they are properly cleaned up or reallocated. The severity is rated as High due to the potential for arbitrary code execution with elevated privileges outside the browser's sandbox environment, which serves as the primary defense mechanism against web-based attacks.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities arise when a pointer continues to be used after the memory it points to has been freed. This creates a window of opportunity where an attacker can control the content of that freed memory block by allocating new objects with specific data structures at the same memory address. When the vulnerable code subsequently accesses this memory through the stale pointer, it effectively reads or writes arbitrary values into the process space. In complex applications like Chrome, which handle extensive network I/O and dynamic object lifecycles, race conditions or logic errors in reference counting can lead to premature deallocation of objects that are still referenced elsewhere in the application state. The Chromoting component handles real-time video streams and control signals over WebRTC protocols, making it a high-value target for attackers seeking to exploit these memory corruption issues through maliciously formatted packets sent during an active or initiated session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe because successful exploitation allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim's machine with the same privileges as the current user. Unlike many other browser vulnerabilities that are contained within the sandboxed renderer process, use-after-free bugs in components like Chromoting can sometimes lead to escapes from the sandbox if they allow for controlled writes into critical data structures or function pointers used by higher-privilege processes. This means an attacker could potentially install malware, steal sensitive credentials, establish persistence mechanisms, or pivot further into a corporate network that relies on Chrome-based remote access solutions. The ability to execute code outside the sandbox fundamentally undermines the security model of modern web browsers, turning what should be a contained environment into a full system compromise vector.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) ID 416, which defines Use After Free as a software error where a program incorrectly frees memory that is still in use or uses freed memory without proper reallocation checks. Furthermore, the exploitation technique maps directly to MITRE ATT&CK tactic T1203, specifically sub-technique T1203.2 for Exploitation for Client Execution, and potentially T1059 if it leads to script execution within a compromised context. The attack vector is classified as Network (ATT&CK T1190), indicating that no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious page or receiving crafted traffic is required to trigger the exploit, although in the case of Chromoting, an active session or specific network configuration might be necessary depending on how the component handles incoming connections.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve immediate patching by upgrading Google Chrome and its associated components to version 152.0.7977.65 or later, where this memory management logic has been corrected to ensure proper reference counting and nullification of pointers after deallocation. Organizations utilizing Chromoting for remote desktop sharing should verify that all endpoints are updated promptly given the high severity rating. Additionally, network security controls such as intrusion detection systems can be configured to detect anomalous patterns in WebRTC traffic or unusual memory allocation behaviors if available, though signature-based detection is often challenging against zero-day style exploits. Implementing strict content security policies and limiting the permissions granted to Chromoting-related processes can also help reduce the blast radius should an exploitation attempt occur, ensuring that even if code execution happens, it remains constrained within necessary operational boundaries rather than granting full system access.