CVE-2026-79245 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/26/2026
Use after free in UI in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a local attacker who had compromised the renderer process to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a local program. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/26/2026
The vulnerability described constitutes a critical use-after-free flaw within the user interface components of Google Chrome, specifically affecting versions prior to 152.0.7977.65. This memory corruption issue arises when the application continues to reference a pointer after the memory it points to has been freed and potentially reallocated for other purposes. In the context of Chromium-based browsers, such flaws are particularly dangerous because they can disrupt the integrity of internal data structures that govern how UI elements interact with underlying system resources. The severity is classified as medium by the Chromium security team, yet its exploitation potential significantly elevates the risk profile due to the specific attack vector involved.
The operational impact of this vulnerability centers on privilege escalation from a sandboxed environment to arbitrary code execution outside that boundary. Typically, browser renderer processes operate within a strict sandbox designed to limit their access to system resources and prevent them from affecting other parts of the operating system or user data. However, if an attacker successfully compromises the renderer process through any means, they can leverage this use-after-free condition in the UI layer to manipulate memory states in ways that bypass these security controls. By carefully crafting a local program to trigger the race condition associated with the freed pointer, the attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution on the host system, effectively breaking out of the browser sandbox and gaining control over the underlying operating environment.
From a technical classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-416, which defines use-after-free errors where memory is accessed after it has been released to the heap allocator. This type of flaw often leads to undefined behavior that can be exploited for code execution if the attacker controls the data written into the reused memory block. Furthermore, in terms of offensive security frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK, this scenario maps directly to techniques involving sandbox escape and privilege escalation. The attack path involves initial compromise of a low-privilege process followed by exploitation of a memory management flaw to achieve higher-level access, which is characteristic of post-exploitation activities aimed at lateral movement or persistent control over the target system.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve immediate software updates to ensure that all instances of Google Chrome are upgraded to version 152.0.7977.65 or later, where the memory management logic in the UI components has been corrected to prevent access to freed memory. For environments where patching is not immediately feasible, defense-in-depth measures should be enforced. These include enabling strict content security policies and ensuring that browser sandboxing features are fully active and configured correctly. Additionally, monitoring for unusual process behavior or unexpected network connections originating from renderer processes can help detect potential exploitation attempts in real-time. Regular vulnerability assessments and adherence to secure coding practices during the development of UI components are essential preventive measures against similar memory corruption issues in future releases.