CVE-2026-11647: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-11647 Overview

CVE-2026-11647 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the Printing component of Google Chrome on Android. The flaw affects Chrome versions prior to 149.0.7827.103. A remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process can leverage a crafted HTML page to potentially escape the Chrome sandbox. Google classified the issue with Chromium security severity High and assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.3.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation enables a sandbox escape from a compromised renderer, allowing attacker code to break out of Chrome's isolation boundary on Android devices.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome for Android prior to 149.0.7827.103
• Google Android platforms running vulnerable Chrome builds
• Chromium-based browsers on Android that share the affected Printing code path

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-06-09 - CVE-2026-11647 published to NVD
• 2026-06-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-11647

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Chrome's Printing component on Android. A use-after-free condition occurs when code retains a pointer to a heap object after that object has been freed. Subsequent access to the dangling pointer allows an attacker to manipulate freed memory contents. In this case, the bug is reachable from a compromised renderer process through interactions exposed by the Printing subsystem.

Because the issue enables a sandbox escape, exploitation crosses Chrome's primary security boundary. The renderer normally executes untrusted web content under strict sandbox restrictions. Escaping the sandbox grants the attacker the higher-privileged context of the browser process, expanding access to the underlying Android system. The CVSS vector indicates the scope changes upon exploitation, reflecting this privilege boundary crossing.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper lifetime management of an object in the Printing component [CWE-416]. Object references persist beyond deallocation, leaving a dangling pointer reachable through renderer-driven operations. Crafted HTML triggers the code path that dereferences the freed object.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires two stages. First, an attacker must compromise the renderer process, typically through a separate renderer-level bug. Second, the attacker delivers a crafted HTML page that triggers the Printing use-after-free to escape the sandbox. User interaction is required, consistent with the CVSS UI:R component. No verified public proof-of-concept code is available. Technical details are tracked in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-11647

Indicators of Compromise

• Chrome for Android renderer crashes referencing Printing component frames or freed object access
• Unexpected child process spawning from Chrome on Android following navigation to untrusted pages
• Anomalous file writes or privilege transitions originating from the Chrome browser process

Detection Strategies

• Inventory installed Chrome versions across managed Android fleets and flag instances below 149.0.7827.103
• Monitor Chrome crash telemetry for repeated renderer or browser process faults tied to Printing code paths
• Correlate web navigation events with subsequent process or file-system anomalies on Android endpoints

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enforce Chrome version compliance reporting through mobile device management (MDM) policies
• Capture and review Android application crash logs centrally for Chrome-specific signatures
• Alert on Chrome processes performing operations outside expected sandboxed behavior

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-11647

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome on Android to version 149.0.7827.103 or later through Google Play
• Enforce automatic Chrome updates across managed Android devices via MDM configuration
• Restrict installation of untrusted Chromium-based browsers that may share the affected code path

Patch Information

Google released the fix in Chrome 149.0.7827.103 for Android. Patch details and channel notes are published in the Google Chrome Update Blog. Additional technical context is available in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Workarounds

• Avoid using the print functionality in Chrome on Android until devices are updated
• Limit browsing to trusted sites and block known malicious domains at the network layer
• Apply MDM policies that disable printing from mobile browsers in high-risk environments

# Verify Chrome version on a managed Android device via adb
adb shell dumpsys package com.android.chrome | grep versionName
# Expected output should show 149.0.7827.103 or later