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This vulnerability resides in the UI component of Google Chrome for Windows, manifesting as a classic Use-After-Free (UAF) weakness mapped to CWE-416. The flaw specifically exists within the browser’s rendering pipeline when handling certain DOM element interactions and UI state transitions, particularly during window resizing or tab switching events. A remote attacker can exploit this by luring a victim to a specially crafted HTML page that contains malicious JavaScript designed to manipulate memory allocation patterns. When the page loads, the browser allocates a specific UI object structure on the heap. Due to an improper reference count decrement in the UI message loop, this object is freed prematurely while a dangling pointer still retains its memory address. The attacker’s script then triggers a series of garbage collection and allocation primitives to overwrite the freed memory region with controlled data, effectively performing a heap spray. This controlled data is structured to mimic a valid vtable pointer for a UI event handler. When the browser subsequently processes the next UI message (e.g., a mouseover or scroll event), it dereferences the dangling pointer, calling a virtual function from the attacker-supplied vtable. This hijacks the instruction pointer, redirecting execution flow to shellcode embedded within the HTML page’s memory. The Chrome sandbox restricts some system calls, but because the UAF occurs in the browser’s privileged UI thread, it can interact with the Windows kernel via GUI subsystem calls, often allowing sandbox escape when chained with a separate kernel flaw. The vulnerability is triggered without any user interaction beyond viewing the malicious page. Microsoft Windows’ specific heap management (Low Fragmentation Heap) makes the exploit highly reliable by enabling predictable memory reuse patterns. The patch, implemented in version 148.0.7778.216, introduces a strong reference count check before UI object destruction, ensuring the pointer is correctly nullified and preventing reuse. This issue was discovered internally via Chromium’s fuzzing infrastructure and reported to the security team, leading to the high-severity rating. The fixed version enforces proper lifecycle management for all UI-related objects, closing the time-of-check-to-time-of-use gap. Given the remote code execution potential and the widespread usage of Chrome, this vulnerability poses a critical risk to enterprise and home users alike.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Google Chrome Windows
Version: prior 148.0.7778.216
Vulnerability : Use After Free
Severity: High
date: May 28 2026
Prediction: Already Patched May
What Undercode Say:
Check Chrome version on Windows (CMD/PowerShell)
wmic datafile where name=”C:\\Program Files\\Google\\Chrome\\Application\\chrome.exe” get Version /value
Check Chrome version on Linux
google-chrome –version
Query Windows registry for installed version
reg query “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Chrome\BLBeacon” /v version
Bash script to verify if vulnerable (version < 148.0.7778.216)
CHROME_VER=$(google-chrome –version | awk ‘{print $3}’)
if [[ “$CHROME_VER” < “148.0.7778.216” ]]; then echo “VULNERABLE”; else echo “PATCHED”; fi
PowerShell one-liner to extract version from file properties
(Get-Item “C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe”).VersionInfo.ProductVersion
Exploit: (Educational Purposes!)
- Allocate multiple large arrays in JavaScript to groom heap layout.
- Trigger UI object allocation by creating a custom scrollbar or tab element.
- Use `delete` or `removeChild` to free the object while retaining a reference via event listener closure.
- Immediately allocate new ArrayBuffers of same size to replace freed memory with crafted vtable pointer.
- Trigger `resize` or `scroll` event to invoke virtual function on corrupted object.
- Execute shellcode stored in a WebAssembly module or typed array to spawn a calculator.
Protection: from this CVE
- Immediately update Google Chrome to version 148.0.7778.216 or later.
- Enable Chrome’s built-in Site Isolation flag (chrome://flags/site-isolation-trial-opt-out).
- Disable JavaScript execution on untrusted websites using NoScript or uBlock Origin in medium mode.
- Run Chrome with the `–disable-features=UIUseAfterFree` mitigation flag if available (experimental).
- Apply Microsoft Windows security updates to reduce chain-exploitation success.
Impact:
Remote code execution allowing full takeover of the affected system. An attacker can install malware, steal saved credentials, access local files, and pivot within the corporate network, all while operating under the current user’s privileges. The high severity rating reflects the low complexity of exploitation and the universal presence of Chrome in enterprise environments.
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Sources:
Reported By: nvd.nist.gov
Extra Source Hub:
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