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)
Published: 2026-08-25
Score: 8.8 High
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: Remote Code Execution
Action: Immediate Patch
AI Analysis

Impact

A use-after-free flaw in the DevTools component of Google Chrome is triggered when a crafted Chrome extension is loaded. The bug allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code within the browser sandbox, potentially compromising the security of the user’s system. The vulnerability is categorized as a memory corruption issue, identified as CWE-416 and rated Medium in Chromium’s internal severity assessment.

Affected Systems

The issue affects Google Chrome versions prior to 152.0.7977.65. Any user who has a vulnerable version of Chrome installed and who installs a malicious or social‑engineering–crafted extension is at risk. No specific operating systems are listed, so all platforms where the vulnerable Chrome build runs are impacted.

Risk and Exploitability

The EPSS metric is not available, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, indicating it has not been widely exploited in the wild yet. The CVSS score is 8.8, indicating high severity. However, the path to exploitation requires that an attacker successfully persuade a user to install a malicious extension. Based on the description, it is inferred that the attacker would use social engineering to achieve a user‑initiated installation. Once installed, the exploit can run arbitrary code inside the sandbox, which may be leveraged for further compromise depending on the sandbox escapes that may be available in later stages.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 26, 2026 at 02:22 UTC.

Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

OpenCVE Recommended Actions

  • Upgrade Google Chrome to version 152.0.7977.65 or newer, as the update includes a patch for the DevTools use‑after‑free bug.
  • If an update cannot be applied immediately, temporarily disable or uninstall all Chrome extensions until the browser is updated, to prevent a malicious extension from running.
  • Run Chrome’s built‑in cleanup tool or verify that no untrusted extensions are present to minimize the risk of an attacker using a social‑engineering vector.

Generated by OpenCVE AI on August 26, 2026 at 02:22 UTC.

Tracking

Sign in to view the affected projects.

Advisories
Source ID Title
Debian DLA Debian DLA DLA-4771-1 chromium security update
Debian DSA Debian DSA DSA-6482-1 chromium security update
History

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
CPEs cpe:2.3:a:google:chrome:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 02:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Chrome DevTools Use-After-Free Enables Remote Code Execution via Malicious Extension

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 00:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 8.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'total'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}


Tue, 25 Aug 2026 23:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Title Chrome DevTools Use-After-Free Enables Remote Code Execution via Malicious Extension

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 22:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Google
Google chrome
Vendors & Products Google
Google chrome

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 20:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
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)
Weaknesses CWE-416
References

cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Chrome

Published:

Updated: 2026-08-27T03:55:35.390Z

Reserved: 2026-08-25T06:04:28.550Z

Link: CVE-2026-78944

cve-icon Vulnrichment

Updated: 2026-08-26T00:07:12.012Z

cve-icon NVD

Status : Analyzed

Published: 2026-08-25T21:17:50.297

Modified: 2026-08-27T04:17:04.620

Link: CVE-2026-78944

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2026-08-26T02:30:04Z

Weaknesses