CVE-2026-85049 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/03/2026
Use after free in Skia in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.82 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/03/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free flaw within the Skia graphics library, which is integrated into Google Chrome prior to version 152.0.7977.82, represents a critical memory management error that can be exploited by remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution. This specific class of vulnerabilities occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after it has been freed from the heap or stack, leading to undefined behavior that security researchers and threat actors frequently leverage for malicious purposes. In this instance, the flaw resides in Skia, Google's open-source 2D graphics library responsible for rendering content within Chrome’s renderer process. When an attacker crafts a specific HTML page containing malformed graphical elements or scripts that trigger improper memory deallocation sequences within Skia, they can manipulate the state of freed memory blocks to execute arbitrary instructions with the privileges of the compromised browser sandbox.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they allow attackers to control what data is written into the previously allocated and now freed memory region. By carefully crafting the input through HTML content, an attacker can overwrite adjacent heap metadata or function pointers, effectively hijacking the program flow during subsequent operations that reference the stale pointer. This exploitation technique bypasses many standard security controls because it operates within the legitimate execution context of the browser’s rendering engine before triggering a crash or unexpected behavior. The severity is classified as High by Chromium due to the potential for full sandbox escape and remote code execution, which compromises user confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data corruption; it enables a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the browser’s restricted environment without any prior interaction from the victim other than visiting the malicious webpage. This aligns with common attack patterns documented in industry standards such as CWE-416, which defines use-after-free errors where memory is accessed after being freed, often leading to crashes or security vulnerabilities. Furthermore, this exploitation vector maps closely to MITRE ATT&CK techniques related to initial access and privilege escalation within web applications, specifically those involving client-side code injection and sandbox escape mechanisms. The ability to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox significantly increases the risk of subsequent lateral movement if the browser is used as a gateway for further network intrusions or malware deployment on the host system.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome to version 152.0.7977.82 or later, where these memory management issues have been addressed through improved pointer validation and heap allocation checks within Skia. Organizations should enforce automated patching policies for all endpoints running affected browser versions to minimize the window of exposure. Additionally, users can employ defense-in-depth measures such as enabling site isolation features in Chrome, which restricts how much information a renderer process has access to by default, thereby limiting the potential impact even if an exploit is attempted. Security teams should also monitor network traffic for indicators of compromise associated with known exploitation kits targeting browser vulnerabilities and ensure that endpoint detection systems are updated to recognize patterns consistent with use-after-free exploits in web contexts.