CVE-2026-13778: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-13778 Overview

CVE-2026-13778 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the WebUSB component of Google Chrome on macOS. The flaw affects Chrome versions prior to 150.0.7871.47. A local attacker can execute arbitrary code by connecting a malicious USB peripheral to a target system running a vulnerable Chrome build. Chromium security team rated the underlying issue as Critical severity, while the National Vulnerability Database assigns it a High rating with CVSS 7.8.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows arbitrary code execution in the Chrome renderer or browser process through malicious USB peripheral interaction, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the target macOS host.

Affected Products

Google Chrome on macOS versions prior to 150.0.7871.47
Apple macOS hosts running vulnerable Chrome builds
Chromium-based browsers sharing the affected WebUSB implementation

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-30 - CVE-2026-13778 published to NVD
2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-13778

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Chrome's WebUSB implementation, which exposes USB device access to web pages through a JavaScript API. WebUSB brokers communication between renderer processes and connected USB peripherals. The affected code path mishandles object lifetimes during peripheral interaction, leaving a dangling pointer to freed memory. Subsequent access to that stale reference produces a classic use-after-free condition [CWE-416].

Exploitation requires user interaction as reflected in the CVSS vector, since the victim must approve WebUSB access or connect a malicious peripheral. The attack vector is local because the adversary needs a physical or emulated USB device present on the host. Chrome's macOS build is the confirmed target platform.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper object lifetime management inside the WebUSB stack on macOS. When a peripheral triggers specific USB events, an object referenced by an outstanding handler is freed while still reachable through another code path. When Chrome dereferences the freed pointer, the attacker-controlled peripheral influences the memory contents at that location, enabling control-flow hijacking.

Attack Vector

An attacker delivers a specially crafted USB peripheral — physical or emulated through tools such as Facedancer or a Raspberry Pi acting as a USB gadget — and induces the victim to interact with a page requesting WebUSB access. Malicious device descriptors and transfer responses drive the vulnerable code path. Once the use-after-free is triggered, the attacker executes arbitrary code inside the Chrome sandbox context. Details are tracked in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

No public proof-of-concept exploit code is available at this time, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Refer to the Google Chrome Stable Update advisory for vendor guidance.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13778

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome renderer or GPU process crashes on macOS with EXC_BAD_ACCESS or heap corruption signatures shortly after USB peripheral connection
Unexpected USB device enumeration events correlated with browser activity on unpatched Chrome versions
Child processes spawned from Google Chrome Helper executing shell commands or writing to user directories

Detection Strategies

Inventory Chrome installations across macOS endpoints and flag any version below 150.0.7871.47
Correlate USB device attach events from macOS IOKit telemetry with Chrome process anomalies
Monitor Chrome crash dumps for use-after-free indicators involving WebUSB symbols

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest endpoint process, USB, and crash telemetry into a centralized data lake for retrospective hunting
Alert on Chrome Helper processes performing outbound network connections to non-standard destinations immediately after USB events
Track deployment status of Chrome 150.0.7871.47 or later through software inventory dashboards

SentinelOne Singularity Endpoint provides behavioral AI identification of anomalous browser child process activity on macOS, and Singularity Data Lake supports correlation of USB attach events with process telemetry for hunting this class of exploit.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13778

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome on all macOS endpoints to version 150.0.7871.47 or later
Restrict WebUSB access through enterprise policy on managed macOS fleets until patching completes
Audit connected USB peripherals and remove untrusted devices from sensitive workstations

Patch Information

Google released the fix in the Chrome Stable channel update covered by the Google Chrome Stable Update advisory. Administrators should verify the installed version reports 150.0.7871.47 or newer via chrome://settings/help. Chromium downstreams should apply the corresponding upstream commit referenced in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Workarounds

Set the DefaultWebUsbGuardSetting Chrome enterprise policy to 2 to block WebUSB access site-wide
Disable USB peripheral connections on high-value macOS endpoints using MDM configuration profiles
Instruct users to deny WebUSB permission prompts from untrusted origins until patching completes

bash

# Configuration example: block WebUSB via Chrome enterprise policy on macOS
defaults write com.google.Chrome DefaultWebUsbGuardSetting -int 2
defaults write com.google.Chrome WebUsbBlockedForUrls -array "*"