CVE-2026-87542 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/09/2026
Use after free in Input in Google Chrome prior to 153.0.8010.36 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free error within the input handling mechanisms of Google Chrome prior to version 153.0.8010.36 represents a critical memory corruption flaw that undermines the browser's core security model. This specific defect occurs when the application continues to reference a pointer to a memory block after that block has been freed, leading to undefined behavior during subsequent operations. In the context of web browsers, such errors are particularly dangerous because they can be triggered by maliciously crafted HTML pages served from remote servers. The attacker constructs a webpage containing specially designed scripts or markup that exploits the timing discrepancy between when an input object is deallocated and when it is accessed again. This exploitation vector allows for arbitrary code execution within the browser's sandboxed environment, which is typically designed to isolate web content from the underlying operating system to prevent such breaches.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability falls under the category of CWE-416, Use After Free, as defined by the Common Weakness Enumeration standard. The root cause lies in improper management of object lifecycles within the Chromium rendering engine or input processing subsystems. When an attacker triggers the specific sequence that leads to the premature deallocation of a memory region associated with user input handling, subsequent references to this invalid pointer can result in heap corruption. This corruption can be manipulated to overwrite adjacent memory structures, potentially allowing the execution of arbitrary shellcode. The severity is classified as High by Chromium security standards due to the potential for full system compromise if the sandbox boundaries are successfully bypassed through additional exploitation techniques or if the vulnerability affects critical components that have broader access privileges.
The operational impact of this flaw extends beyond simple data leakage, posing a significant risk to user confidentiality and integrity. A successful exploit enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on the victim's machine with the permissions of the browser process. While modern browsers employ multiple layers of defense such as sandboxing, address space layout randomization, and heap hardening techniques, sophisticated use-after-free vulnerabilities often include additional steps like spray attacks or type confusion to bypass these mitigations. Consequently, an attacker could install malware, steal sensitive credentials stored in the browser, monitor user activity, or pivot further into a corporate network if the victim is part of an enterprise environment. The ability to execute code inside the sandbox highlights the fragility of memory safety guarantees when manual memory management errors persist in complex software systems like web browsers.
To mitigate this risk, organizations and individual users must ensure that Google Chrome is updated to version 153.0.8010.36 or later immediately upon availability. This update contains patches that correct the lifecycle management of input objects, ensuring that pointers are nullified after deallocation or that access checks are properly enforced before any operation on potentially freed memory. Security administrators should also enforce automatic updates where possible to reduce the window of exposure. Additionally, deploying browser isolation technologies or content security policies can provide an additional layer of defense by restricting the types of scripts and resources allowed to execute within the browsing context. Monitoring for indicators of compromise related to heap exploitation techniques may also aid in detecting attempted exploits before they result in a full system breach. This incident underscores the importance of rigorous code review practices focused on memory safety, particularly in components that handle untrusted input from the web.