CVE-2025-10501: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-10501 Overview

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the WebRTC component of Google Chrome prior to version 140.0.7339.185. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption by enticing a user to visit a specially crafted HTML page. The vulnerability was assigned a high severity rating by the Chromium security team.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit heap corruption via malicious web pages, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the Chrome browser process.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome (versions prior to 140.0.7339.185)
• Google Chrome on Microsoft Windows
• Google Chrome on Apple macOS
• Google Chrome on Linux

Discovery Timeline

• September 24, 2025 - CVE-2025-10501 published to NVD
• September 25, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-10501

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), a memory corruption issue that occurs when a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed. In the context of Google Chrome's WebRTC implementation, the flaw resides in the real-time communication stack that handles peer-to-peer audio, video, and data streaming capabilities.

The use-after-free condition can be triggered when processing maliciously crafted HTML content that manipulates WebRTC objects in a specific sequence. When successful exploitation occurs, the attacker gains the ability to corrupt heap memory structures, which can be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser process.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from improper memory lifecycle management within the WebRTC component. Specifically, the vulnerability arises when WebRTC objects are freed but references to these objects remain accessible. Subsequent operations that attempt to use these dangling pointers result in undefined behavior, including potential heap corruption that an attacker can exploit for code execution.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must convince a victim to navigate to a malicious webpage containing specially crafted HTML and JavaScript that triggers the vulnerable code path in the WebRTC implementation. The attack does not require any special privileges on the target system, but the victim must actively visit the attacker-controlled webpage.

The exploitation chain typically involves:

1. Victim navigates to a malicious webpage
2. JavaScript code manipulates WebRTC objects to trigger the use-after-free condition
3. Heap memory is corrupted through the dangling pointer access
4. Attacker achieves code execution within the Chrome renderer process

For detailed technical information, see the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-10501

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual WebRTC connection attempts from Chrome browser processes
• Chrome browser crashes with heap corruption signatures referencing WebRTC components
• Memory access violation errors in Chrome crash dumps involving libwebrtc or related modules
• Suspicious JavaScript execution patterns involving rapid WebRTC object creation and destruction

Detection Strategies

• Monitor browser process behavior for anomalous memory access patterns and unexpected crashes
• Implement endpoint detection rules that flag exploitation attempts targeting WebRTC heap structures
• Deploy network monitoring to identify traffic patterns associated with WebRTC exploitation payloads
• Use SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect post-exploitation activities following browser compromise

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome crash reporting and analyze crash dumps for WebRTC-related memory corruption signatures
• Monitor for unusual child process spawning from Chrome browser processes that may indicate successful exploitation
• Implement browser version auditing to ensure all endpoints are running patched Chrome versions
• Configure SentinelOne agents to alert on suspicious browser behavior indicative of memory corruption attacks

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-10501

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 140.0.7339.185 or later immediately on all managed endpoints
• Prioritize patching for systems with high-risk users who frequently browse untrusted websites
• Consider temporarily disabling WebRTC functionality if immediate patching is not feasible
• Enable automatic updates for Chrome browsers across the organization

Patch Information

Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability in Chrome version 140.0.7339.185. The patch is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. Organizations should apply this update as soon as possible through their standard patch management processes.

For official patch details, refer to the Google Chrome Update Announcement.

Workarounds

• Disable WebRTC functionality using browser policies or extensions if patching cannot be immediately applied
• Implement web filtering to block access to known malicious domains that may host exploitation attempts
• Use browser isolation technologies to contain potential browser compromises
• Configure Content Security Policy headers on internal web applications to restrict WebRTC usage where not required

# Chrome Enterprise policy to disable WebRTC (Windows Registry)
# Add the following registry key to disable WebRTC
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
# WebRtcLocalIpsAllowedUrls = [] (empty array to restrict)

# Verify Chrome version via command line
google-chrome --version
# Expected output: Google Chrome 140.0.7339.185 or higher