CVE-2026-84350 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/02/2026
Use after free in TabStrip in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.75 allowed a remote attacker leveraging social engineering to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via UI Interaction. (Chromium security severity: Low)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/02/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free condition within the TabStrip component of Google Chrome prior to version 152.0.7977.75 represents a critical memory management error that undermines the browser's sandboxing mechanisms. This flaw arises when the application continues to reference a pointer to a memory block after that block has been freed, leading to undefined behavior during execution. In the context of Chromium-based browsers, such errors are particularly dangerous because they can allow an attacker to manipulate how the browser interprets data in memory, potentially overwriting adjacent objects or executing arbitrary code with the privileges of the compromised process. The specific location within TabStrip suggests that the issue is tied to the user interface elements responsible for managing open tabs, which are frequently interacted with by users during normal browsing sessions.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is significant due to its potential for remote exploitation through social engineering tactics. An attacker does not need direct network access or complex exploit chains involving multiple vulnerabilities; instead, they can leverage a crafted webpage or malicious advertisement that triggers the specific UI interaction sequence required to activate the bug. When a user visits such a page and performs actions like switching tabs or closing windows in a manner consistent with triggering the race condition or invalid memory reference, the browser may execute attacker-controlled code outside of its intended sandbox boundaries. This bypasses many of the standard mitigations designed to contain malicious activity within isolated processes, thereby granting the attacker full control over the compromised system's context associated with that browser instance.
From a classification perspective, this vulnerability aligns closely with CWE-416, which defines use-after-free errors as a category of software weaknesses where pointers are used after their memory has been released. This type of flaw is frequently exploited in conjunction with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for client execution, specifically targeting applications that handle user input and render web content. The low severity rating assigned by the Chromium security team likely reflects the difficulty or specificity required to trigger the condition reliably across different environments, but it does not diminish the potential consequence of arbitrary code execution if the exploit conditions are met successfully.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve updating the browser software to a version where the memory management logic in TabStrip has been corrected to ensure proper lifecycle handling of UI components and their associated data structures. Administrators should enforce automatic updates or manually patch systems running versions prior to 152.0.7977.75 as soon as possible. Additionally, users can reduce risk by employing browser hardening techniques such as disabling JavaScript on untrusted sites using extensions like NoScript or configuring strict content security policies if the environment allows for custom configuration. Awareness training regarding social engineering is also crucial, as attackers will likely disguise malicious payloads within seemingly benign web pages to trick users into triggering the vulnerable code paths through normal interaction patterns.