CVE-2026-11636 Overview
CVE-2026-11636 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Autofill component of Google Chrome on Windows. The flaw affects Chrome versions prior to 149.0.7827.103 and is tracked as [CWE-416]. A remote attacker can exploit heap corruption by serving a crafted HTML page and convincing the user to perform specific UI gestures. Google's Chromium security team rated the underlying issue as Critical severity, while the National Vulnerability Database assigns a CVSS 3.1 score of 7.5 due to the high attack complexity and required user interaction. Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution within the renderer process.
Critical Impact
Remote attackers can trigger heap corruption in Chrome's Autofill component, enabling potential code execution in the browser renderer process.
Affected Products
- Google Chrome on Windows prior to 149.0.7827.103
- Microsoft Windows hosts running vulnerable Chrome builds
- Chromium-based applications embedding affected Autofill code paths
Discovery Timeline
- 2026-06-09 - CVE-2026-11636 published to NVD
- 2026-06-09 - Google publishes Stable Channel update for Desktop addressing the flaw
- 2026-06-09 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2026-11636
Vulnerability Analysis
The vulnerability resides in Chrome's Autofill subsystem, which manages saved form data such as addresses, payment cards, and credentials. Autofill objects are allocated on the heap and referenced by multiple browser components during form interaction. A use-after-free condition occurs when one code path releases an Autofill object while another retains a dangling pointer to the same memory region. Subsequent access to the freed memory allows an attacker to manipulate heap layout and influence control flow. The bug requires specific user interface gestures, which raises attack complexity but does not eliminate the risk for users browsing untrusted pages.
Root Cause
The root cause is improper lifetime management of Autofill data structures, classified under [CWE-416] Use After Free. The component releases an object reference without invalidating all pointers held by concurrent UI handlers. When the attacker triggers reuse of the freed allocation, controlled data overlaps with the original object layout, corrupting the heap.
Attack Vector
Exploitation begins with a crafted HTML page hosted by the attacker. The page initializes Autofill state and prompts the victim to perform interactions such as clicking, focus changes, or form submissions. These gestures drive the renderer through the vulnerable code path, freeing the target object and reusing the slot. Because the attack vector is network-based and the renderer process handles untrusted web content directly, drive-by exploitation through phishing or malvertising is feasible. See the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry for upstream technical context.
No public proof-of-concept code has been released for this issue.
Detection Methods for CVE-2026-11636
Indicators of Compromise
- Chrome renderer crashes or unexpected chrome.exe child process terminations with heap corruption signatures in Windows Error Reporting (WER)
- Outbound connections from Chrome to recently registered domains followed by sandbox escape attempts
- Unexpected child processes spawned by chrome.exe such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, or rundll32.exe
Detection Strategies
- Inventory installed Chrome versions across Windows endpoints and flag any build below 149.0.7827.103
- Correlate browser process crashes with subsequent process creation events to identify post-exploitation activity
- Monitor for renderer sandbox escape behaviors, including writes to autostart registry keys and credential store access from Chrome child processes
Monitoring Recommendations
- Forward Chrome crash telemetry and Windows Event Log Application crashes to a centralized SIEM for anomaly review
- Enable web proxy logging of HTML responses with high volumes of Autofill API interactions or obfuscated JavaScript targeting form fields
- Track endpoint EDR alerts for memory protection violations originating in Chrome processes
How to Mitigate CVE-2026-11636
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Google Chrome on all Windows endpoints to version 149.0.7827.103 or later
- Restart browser sessions after patch deployment to ensure the vulnerable process image is unloaded
- Audit Chromium-based applications and embedded browsers for affected Autofill code and apply vendor updates
Patch Information
Google released the fix in the Stable Channel update documented in the Google Chrome Update Announcement. Administrators should verify that managed Chrome installations have received the update through enterprise update channels such as Google Update or Microsoft Intune. Upstream commit details are available through the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry once Google removes the access restriction.
Workarounds
- Disable Chrome Autofill for addresses, payment methods, and passwords via the AutofillAddressEnabled and AutofillCreditCardEnabled enterprise policies until patching completes
- Restrict browsing to trusted sites through web filtering and block newly registered domains at the proxy
- Enforce Site Isolation and Strict Site Isolation policies to limit the impact of renderer compromise
# Configuration example: enforce Chrome auto-update and disable Autofill on Windows via Group Policy registry keys
reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome" /v AutofillAddressEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome" /v AutofillCreditCardEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f
reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Google\Update\ChromeUpdatePolicy" /v UpdateDefault /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
