CVE-2026-87633 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/09/2026
Use after free in Views in Google Chrome prior to 153.0.8010.36 allowed a local attacker to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via UI Interaction. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2026
The vulnerability identified as a use-after-free condition within the View component of Google Chrome represents a critical memory management flaw that compromises the integrity of the browser's rendering engine prior to version 153.0.8010.36. This specific class of error occurs when the application continues to reference a memory block after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited by an attacker. In this context, the flaw resides in how Chrome handles object lifecycles during user interface interactions, specifically within the Views framework which manages complex UI elements and their associated data structures. When a View is destroyed or removed from the display tree, its underlying memory should be immediately invalidated to prevent further access. However, due to the defect, references to this deallocated memory persist in certain operational states, creating a window of opportunity for exploitation.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the retention of dangling pointers within internal data structures that track UI state or event handlers. When an attacker triggers specific sequences of user interface interactions, such as rapidly opening and closing dialogs or manipulating complex layout trees, they can cause the browser to free memory associated with a View object while retaining references to it in other parts of the application logic. Subsequent operations on these stale pointers allow for arbitrary read and write access to heap memory. This capability is particularly dangerous because it bypasses standard safety checks that rely on valid object structures, enabling the attacker to manipulate control flow or overwrite critical data within the browser process.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code outside of Chrome's sandbox environment. The significance of escaping the sandbox cannot be overstated in modern web security architectures. Sandboxing isolates untrusted content from sensitive system resources and user data. By exploiting the use-after-free flaw, an attacker can achieve arbitrary code execution with higher privileges than those granted to standard browser processes. This effectively neutralizes one of the primary defense layers against remote code execution attacks, potentially leading to full system compromise if combined with other techniques or vulnerabilities that facilitate privilege escalation from the renderer process to the host operating system.
This incident aligns closely with Common Weakness Enumeration identifier CWE-416, which describes use after free errors resulting in unexpected termination or arbitrary code execution. Furthermore, the exploitation technique falls under MITRE ATT&CK tactic T1203, specifically referencing exploit for client-side attack vectors where user interaction is required to trigger the malicious payload. The requirement for UI interaction indicates that this vulnerability likely requires social engineering elements or a crafted webpage that manipulates browser state through deliberate user actions rather than purely automated remote exploitation.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve updating Google Chrome to version 153.0.8010.36 or later, where the memory management logic for View objects has been corrected to ensure proper invalidation of pointers upon deallocation. Organizations should enforce strict update policies across all endpoints running this browser variant to eliminate exposure. Additionally, security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to heap spraying techniques or unusual process behavior that may indicate attempts to exploit similar vulnerabilities in older versions where patches have not yet been applied. Implementing application whitelisting and restricting user privileges can also reduce the impact if such an exploitation attempt occurs by limiting the potential damage outside the sandboxed environment.