Use After Free in Google Chrome DevTools

Publication date: 2026-08-25

Last updated on: 2026-08-25

Assigner: Chrome

Description

Use after free in DevTools in Google Chrome prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker leveraging social engineering to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted Chrome extension. (Chromium security severity: Medium)

CVSS Scores

EPSS Scores

Probability:
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Meta Information

Published

2026-08-25

Last Modified

2026-08-25

Generated

2026-08-26

AI Q&A

2026-08-26

EPSS Evaluated

N/A

NVD

CVE-2026-78944

Affected Vendors & Products

Vendor	Product	Version / Range
google	chrome	to 152.0.7977.65 (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 Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.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 Google Chrome's DevTools. It occurs when a program tries to use memory that has already been freed, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The flaw exists in Chrome versions prior to 152.0.7977.65 and can be exploited by a remote attacker through a crafted Chrome extension, even inside the sandbox environment.

Impact Analysis

If exploited, this vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code on your system. Since it requires social engineering to trick you into installing a malicious Chrome extension, the risk depends on your caution when installing extensions. The sandbox environment limits impact but doesn't fully prevent code execution.

Mitigation Strategies

Update Google Chrome to version 152.0.7977.65 or later to address the use after free vulnerability in DevTools.

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