CVE-2026-17778

Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

Use After Free in Google Chrome Extensions

Publication date: 2026-07-30

Last updated on: 2026-08-03

Assigner: Chrome

Description

Use after free in Extensions in Google Chrome prior to 151.0.7922.72 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted Chrome Extension. (Chromium security severity: Medium)

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-07-30

Last Modified

2026-08-03

Generated

2026-08-19

AI Q&A

2026-07-30

EPSS Evaluated

2026-08-18

NVD

CVE-2026-17778

EUVD

EUVD-2026-50727

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
google	chrome	to 151.0.7922.72 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE

KEV

CWE ID	Description
CWE-416	The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Attack-Flow Graph

Executive Summary

This vulnerability is a use-after-free issue in the Extensions component of Google Chrome before version 151.0.7922.72. A use-after-free occurs when a program continues to use memory after it has been freed, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. In this case, a remote attacker could exploit this flaw by crafting a malicious Chrome Extension to execute arbitrary code inside a sandboxed environment.

Detection Guidance

This vulnerability is specific to Google Chrome versions prior to 151.0.7922.72. To detect it, check your Chrome version by running chrome://version/ in the browser address bar. If your version is below 151.0.7922.72, the system is vulnerable. Update Chrome immediately to the latest version to mitigate the risk.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to run malicious code on your system through a compromised Chrome Extension. Since the code runs inside a sandbox, the impact is somewhat limited, but it could still lead to unauthorized actions, data theft, or further compromise of your system depending on the attacker's goals.

Compliance Impact

This vulnerability is a use-after-free issue in Google Chrome's Extensions component, which could allow arbitrary code execution inside a sandbox. Such vulnerabilities may lead to unauthorized data access or manipulation, potentially violating GDPR's data protection requirements or HIPAA's safeguards for protected health information if exploited.

Mitigation Strategies

Update Google Chrome to version 151.0.7922.72 or later to address the use after free vulnerability in Extensions.

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