CVE-2026-95347 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/29/2026
Use after free in Updater in Google Chrome on on Mac prior to 154.0.8037.57 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 • 09/29/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-6982 represents a critical memory management flaw within the Updater component of Google Chrome for macOS, specifically affecting versions prior to 154.0.8037.57. This issue is classified as an out-of-bounds use or use-after-free error, which occurs when software continues to use a pointer after it has been freed from memory without properly reinitializing the data structure. In this specific context, the flaw resides in how the updater handles network traffic and subsequent state transitions. When the application processes crafted network packets designed to trigger premature deallocation of certain objects, the system fails to nullify or validate references to those objects before they are accessed again. This creates a window where memory that has been returned to the heap allocator can be reallocated for different purposes while still being referenced by active code paths within the updater process.
From a technical perspective, this vulnerability maps directly to CWE-416, which defines use after free as an error resulting from referencing freed memory or using it after its lifetime has ended. The operational mechanism involves an attacker sending specially crafted network traffic that exploits race conditions or logic errors in the update verification and installation routines. By manipulating these inputs, a remote adversary can force the application to access deallocated memory regions. If the timing of the attack is precise, the freed memory may be reused by another process or thread for malicious data structures. When the vulnerable code subsequently accesses this region through its stale pointer, it effectively executes instructions contained within that attacker-controlled memory space rather than legitimate system operations.
The impact of this vulnerability is severe due to the potential for arbitrary code execution outside the browser sandbox environment. Google Chrome employs a multi-process architecture with strict sandboxing policies designed to isolate web content from sensitive operating system resources and user data. However, the updater component often operates with higher privileges or different security boundaries than standard renderer processes to facilitate seamless updates without requiring constant administrative prompts. By exploiting this use-after-free condition within the updater, an attacker can bypass these containment mechanisms. Successful exploitation allows for remote code execution on the victim's machine, granting the adversary control over system operations, access to sensitive files, and potential persistence through installed malware or backdoors. This scenario aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for client execution, specifically targeting applications that handle network input in privileged contexts.
Mitigation strategies primarily involve immediate software updates to ensure the application version is 154.0.8037.57 or later, where Google has implemented fixes to properly manage memory lifecycles and validate pointers before use. Developers should also consider implementing robust static analysis tools during the development phase to detect potential dangling pointer issues early in the software lifecycle. Additionally, enabling automatic update mechanisms ensures that security patches are applied promptly without user intervention. For organizations managing large fleets of macOS devices, deploying centralized patch management solutions can help enforce version compliance and reduce exposure windows. Security teams should also monitor network traffic for anomalous patterns indicative of exploitation attempts targeting browser updater components, although the primary defense remains timely application of vendor-provided updates to close these memory safety gaps.