CVE-2025-6192: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2025-6192 Overview

CVE-2025-6192 is a Use After Free vulnerability in the Metrics component of Google Chrome prior to version 137.0.7151.119. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability was classified by Chromium as having high security severity, indicating significant potential impact on affected systems.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit heap corruption through specially crafted HTML pages, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, data theft, or complete browser compromise.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 137.0.7151.119

Discovery Timeline

• 2025-06-18 - CVE-2025-6192 published to NVD
• 2025-07-03 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2025-6192

Vulnerability Analysis

This Use After Free vulnerability resides in the Metrics component of Google Chrome. Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been freed. In the context of browser security, such vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous as they can be triggered through malicious web content without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a compromised page.

The Metrics component in Chromium is responsible for collecting and processing browser telemetry and performance data. When memory associated with metrics objects is freed but references to that memory persist, subsequent operations on the stale pointer can lead to heap corruption. An attacker exploiting this flaw could manipulate the heap layout to gain control over program execution.

Root Cause

The root cause is a Use After Free condition (CWE-416) in the Metrics component of Google Chrome. This occurs when a metrics-related object is deallocated while a reference to that memory location still exists and is subsequently accessed. The dangling pointer allows attackers to corrupt heap memory structures when processing specially crafted HTML content.

Attack Vector

The attack requires network access to deliver a malicious HTML page to the victim's browser. The attack is executed when a user visits a webpage containing the crafted exploit code. No authentication or special privileges are required on the attacker's part, though user interaction (navigating to the malicious page) is necessary.

A proof-of-concept has been published demonstrating exploitation of this vulnerability. The CVE-2025-6192 PoC repository contains technical details about the exploitation technique. The attacker crafts an HTML page that triggers the use-after-free condition in the Metrics component, allowing manipulation of freed heap memory to achieve code execution or other malicious outcomes.

Detection Methods for CVE-2025-6192

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual crash patterns in Google Chrome, particularly involving the Metrics component
• Chrome renderer process crashes with heap corruption signatures
• Unexpected memory access violations in browser logs
• Network requests to known malicious domains serving exploit code

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Google Chrome versions below 137.0.7151.119 in your environment
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify heap corruption exploitation attempts
• Analyze browser crash reports for patterns consistent with Use After Free exploitation
• Implement network monitoring to detect traffic to known exploit hosting infrastructure

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome crash reporting and analyze crash dumps for exploitation artifacts
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity platform to detect memory corruption exploitation attempts
• Monitor for suspicious JavaScript execution patterns that may indicate heap spray techniques
• Track browser process behavior for anomalous memory allocation patterns

How to Mitigate CVE-2025-6192

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 137.0.7151.119 or later immediately
• Enable automatic updates to ensure timely security patches
• Review enterprise browser deployments for vulnerable versions
• Consider implementing browser isolation solutions for high-risk users

Patch Information

Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability in Chrome version 137.0.7151.119. Users and administrators should update to this version or later to remediate the vulnerability. For detailed information about this update, refer to the Google Chrome Stable Channel Update. Additional technical details are tracked in Chromium Issue #421471016.

Workarounds

• If immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to untrusted websites
• Implement network-level controls to block access to known malicious domains
• Enable Chrome's Site Isolation feature to limit cross-site data exposure
• Deploy browser extensions that provide additional sandboxing for untrusted content
• Consider using an alternative browser temporarily until Chrome can be updated

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

# Force Chrome update via command line (Windows)
# Check for updates through Settings > About Chrome

# Enterprise deployment: Use Chrome Browser Cloud Management
# to enforce version requirements across the organization