CVE-2025-13633: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-13633 Overview

CVE-2025-13633 is a use after free vulnerability in the Digital Credentials component of Google Chrome prior to version 143.0.7499.41. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), a dangerous memory safety issue that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system compromise.

Critical Impact

A remote attacker with renderer process compromise can exploit heap corruption to potentially achieve arbitrary code execution, compromising user systems through maliciously crafted web content.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome prior to version 143.0.7499.41
• Google Chrome on Linux (linux_kernel)
• Google Chrome on Apple macOS
• Google Chrome on Microsoft Windows

Discovery Timeline

• December 2, 2025 - CVE-2025-13633 published to NVD
• December 4, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-13633

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists in the Digital Credentials feature of Google Chrome, a component responsible for handling credential-related operations within the browser. Use after free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use a memory location after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior that can be exploited by attackers.

In this case, an attacker who has already compromised the renderer process can trigger the use after free condition to corrupt heap memory. The Digital Credentials component improperly manages memory lifecycle, allowing references to freed memory objects to persist and be accessed after deallocation. When the freed memory is reallocated for other purposes and the dangling pointer is dereferenced, heap corruption occurs.

The attack requires user interaction, as the victim must visit a maliciously crafted HTML page. However, combined with a renderer process compromise (which could be achieved through a separate exploit chain), this vulnerability significantly elevates the attacker's capabilities.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from improper memory management within the Digital Credentials component. Specifically, the code fails to properly invalidate references to memory objects after they are freed. This creates a dangling pointer condition where subsequent operations can access memory that has been released back to the heap allocator, potentially after it has been reallocated for different data structures.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must first compromise the renderer process through a separate vulnerability or exploit chain. Once renderer compromise is achieved, the attacker can craft a malicious HTML page that triggers the use after free condition in the Digital Credentials component. When a victim visits this crafted page, the vulnerability can be exploited to corrupt heap memory, potentially leading to further code execution or sandbox escape.

The attack flow typically involves:

1. Initial renderer process compromise via a separate exploit
2. Crafting a malicious HTML page that triggers the UAF in Digital Credentials
3. Manipulating heap layout to place controlled data in the freed memory location
4. Triggering the dangling pointer dereference to corrupt heap metadata or gain code execution

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-13633

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected crashes or instability in Google Chrome, particularly when accessing credential-related features
• Memory access violations or heap corruption errors in Chrome crash reports
• Anomalous network traffic patterns to suspicious domains serving malicious HTML content
• Renderer process crashes followed by suspicious child process spawning

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome crash dumps containing references to Digital Credentials or navigator.credentials API calls
• Implement browser telemetry to detect unusual memory allocation patterns associated with credential operations
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify potential exploit chains targeting Chrome renderer processes
• Review web proxy logs for access to known malicious domains serving exploit kits

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting and monitor for patterns indicative of exploitation attempts
• Implement network-level monitoring for suspicious HTML content delivery targeting browser vulnerabilities
• Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting heap spray and memory corruption attacks
• Monitor for unusual process behavior following Chrome renderer process execution

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-13633

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 143.0.7499.41 or later immediately across all systems
• Enable automatic Chrome updates to ensure timely patching of future vulnerabilities
• Consider restricting access to untrusted websites until patching is complete
• Review Chrome enterprise policies to ensure security features like Site Isolation are enabled

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 143.0.7499.41. The fix is included in the stable channel update released in December 2025. Organizations should prioritize updating Chrome installations across all platforms (Windows, macOS, and Linux).

For detailed information about the security update, refer to the Google Chrome Stable Channel Update Announcement.

Technical details about the vulnerability can be found at the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Workarounds

• If immediate patching is not possible, consider using alternative browsers for sensitive operations until Chrome can be updated
• Implement strict web filtering to block access to known malicious sites
• Enable Chrome's strict site isolation feature to limit the impact of renderer compromises
• Disable Digital Credentials API via Chrome enterprise policies if the feature is not required in your environment
• Deploy network-level security controls to inspect and filter potentially malicious HTML content

# Configuration example
# Verify Chrome version on Linux/macOS
google-chrome --version

# Force Chrome update via command line (Windows)
# Navigate to chrome://settings/help to trigger update check

# Enterprise policy to enable strict site isolation
# Add to Chrome policies JSON:
# "SitePerProcess": true