CVE-2025-5063: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-5063 Overview

CVE-2025-5063 is a use after free vulnerability in the Compositing component of Google Chrome prior to version 137.0.7151.55. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability is classified with Chromium security severity as High, indicating significant potential for exploitation and impact on affected systems.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this heap corruption vulnerability through specially crafted HTML pages, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution within the browser context.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 137.0.7151.55

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-05-27 - CVE-2025-5063 published to NVD
• 2025-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-5063

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability exists in the Compositing component of Google Chrome, which is responsible for managing how visual elements are rendered and combined on the screen. The use after free condition (CWE-416) occurs when the browser continues to reference memory that has already been deallocated, creating an opportunity for heap corruption.

When a user visits a maliciously crafted HTML page, the attacker can trigger conditions that cause the browser to access freed memory in the Compositing subsystem. This dangling pointer access can result in heap corruption, which attackers may leverage to achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser process.

Root Cause

The root cause is a use after free memory management error in the Compositing component. This occurs when an object is freed but a pointer to that object remains in use. The Compositing engine maintains references to graphical layer objects, and a flaw in the lifecycle management of these objects allows them to be accessed after deallocation.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must navigate to a malicious web page. The attacker crafts an HTML page designed to trigger specific rendering operations that exploit the timing vulnerability in the Compositing component. When the victim's browser processes this page, it triggers the use after free condition, potentially allowing the attacker to corrupt heap memory and execute arbitrary code.

The exploitation does not require authentication or special privileges beyond convincing a user to visit the malicious page. Successful exploitation could result in complete compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability within the browser sandbox context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-5063

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected browser crashes or instability when visiting unfamiliar websites
• Chrome crash reports referencing the Compositing component or compositor-related processes
• Anomalous memory access patterns or heap corruption signatures in browser process memory
• Suspicious HTML or JavaScript content attempting to manipulate rendering layers

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome version installations below 137.0.7151.55 across the enterprise
• Implement endpoint detection rules for browser crash patterns indicative of memory corruption
• Deploy network monitoring to identify suspicious web traffic patterns to known malicious domains
• Utilize SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect exploitation attempts targeting browser processes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome crash reporting and centralize log collection for analysis
• Configure endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to alert on browser memory anomalies
• Implement web filtering to block access to newly registered or low-reputation domains
• Monitor for child process spawning from Chrome that may indicate sandbox escape attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-5063

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 137.0.7151.55 or later immediately
• Enable automatic updates for Chrome to ensure timely patching of future vulnerabilities
• Verify the Chrome version across all managed endpoints using enterprise management tools
• Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites until patches are applied

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 137.0.7151.55. Organizations should prioritize deploying this update across all managed systems. For detailed information about the security update, refer to the Google Chrome Update Announcement. Additional technical details are available in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Workarounds

• Limit browsing to trusted, known-safe websites until patching is complete
• Consider temporarily using alternative browsers for high-risk browsing activities
• Implement strict web content filtering policies at the network perimeter
• Enable Chrome's Site Isolation feature if not already active for additional process separation

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

# On Windows, check via PowerShell
(Get-Item "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe").VersionInfo.FileVersion

# Force Chrome update check
# Navigate to chrome://settings/help in the browser