CVE-2026-87609 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/09/2026
Use after free in Sharing in Google Chrome on on iOS prior to 153.0.8010.36 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via crafted network traffic. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-9710 represents a critical memory management flaw within the Sharing component of Google Chrome for iOS, specifically affecting versions prior to 153.0.8010.36. This issue is classified as an out-of-bounds use or use-after-free error, which occurs when the application continues to access memory that has already been deallocated by the system. In the context of modern web browsers like Chrome, such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they reside within complex rendering and networking engines where object lifecycles can be intricate and difficult to track manually. The flaw specifically impacts the Sharing feature, which handles interactions between the browser and other iOS applications for tasks such as sharing URLs or content. When a user interacts with this feature through crafted network traffic, the application fails to properly manage the memory pointers associated with these objects, leading to a situation where freed memory is accessed rather than reallocated or nullified.
From a technical perspective, use-after-free vulnerabilities are among the most severe classes of software defects because they provide attackers with significant control over program execution flow. When an attacker crafts specific network traffic that triggers this condition, they can manipulate the contents of the previously allocated memory region before it is reused by another part of the application. By carefully controlling what data is written into this freed memory block, a remote attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the Chrome process. This capability allows for the bypassing of standard security mitigations such as stack canaries and non-executable stacks, although modern browsers employ additional layers like sandboxing to limit the impact. However, in this specific instance involving iOS, the exploitation chain could potentially allow an attacker to escape the browser's sandbox environment, thereby gaining access to sensitive user data or installing persistent malware on the device.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe due to its remote exploitability and potential for privilege escalation beyond the application sandbox. An attack does not require physical access to the device; instead, it can be triggered remotely by visiting a maliciously crafted website or receiving specially formatted network packets that interact with the Sharing API. This lowers the barrier for entry significantly compared to vulnerabilities requiring user interaction beyond clicking a link. Once executed outside the sandbox, an attacker could potentially read sensitive information such as cookies, saved passwords, and browsing history, which are typically protected by iOS app isolation policies. Furthermore, arbitrary code execution in this context can lead to full device compromise if combined with other exploits or if the browser's security boundaries are sufficiently weakened by the memory corruption state.
To mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2024-9710, it is imperative that users and administrators update Google Chrome on iOS to version 153.0.8010.36 or later immediately. This patch includes fixes for the underlying memory management logic in the Sharing component, ensuring that pointers are properly invalidated after deallocation and preventing access to freed memory regions. For organizations deploying mobile devices, enforcing strict update policies through Mobile Device Management solutions is recommended to ensure all endpoints remain patched against known vulnerabilities. Additionally, users should exercise caution when interacting with unknown or untrusted websites, particularly those attempting to trigger sharing functionalities via embedded scripts or automated network requests.
This vulnerability aligns with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-416, which describes use after free errors where a pointer is used after its memory has been freed. In terms of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, this flaw facilitates initial access and potentially privilege escalation techniques by allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code within a targeted application environment. The ability to escape sandbox boundaries places it in high-risk categories for mobile security threats, emphasizing the need for rigorous static analysis during development and dynamic fuzzing testing before release. Maintaining up-to-date software is the primary defense against such exploits, as vendors continuously refine memory safety checks and implement stricter bounds checking within their rendering engines to prevent similar occurrences in future versions.