CVE-2026-13785: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-13785 Overview

CVE-2026-13785 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the Bluetooth component of Google Chrome on macOS. The flaw affects versions prior to 150.0.7871.47. A remote attacker who convinces a user to perform specific user interface gestures can trigger the freed memory access through a crafted HTML page. Successful exploitation allows a sandbox escape, breaking out of Chrome's renderer isolation on affected Mac systems. Google's Chromium security team rated the underlying issue as Critical severity. The vulnerability requires user interaction but no authentication and is reachable across the network through standard web browsing.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation enables a sandbox escape on macOS, allowing an attacker-controlled web page to break out of the Chrome renderer and execute code with broader privileges on the host.

Affected Products

Google Chrome on macOS prior to 150.0.7871.47
Apple macOS (all supported versions running vulnerable Chrome builds)
Chromium-based browsers on macOS that inherit the same Bluetooth code path

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-30 - CVE-2026-13785 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-13785

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a use-after-free condition in the Web Bluetooth implementation of Google Chrome on macOS. Chrome exposes Bluetooth device access to web content through the Web Bluetooth API, which requires user consent through a chooser dialog. The affected code path frees a Bluetooth-related object while another reference to it remains reachable. Subsequent access to the dangling pointer produces controllable memory corruption inside the browser process.

Because the affected component sits outside the renderer sandbox, corruption of these structures can be leveraged to escape sandbox restrictions. The attacker chains the memory corruption with a crafted HTML page and specific user interface gestures required by the Web Bluetooth permission model. Chromium's security team classified the underlying issue as Critical, consistent with sandbox-escape-class defects.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper object lifetime management [CWE-416] within Chrome's Bluetooth code on macOS. A referenced object is released while other components still hold pointers to it, and later operations dereference the freed allocation. See the Chromium Issue Tracker #517021684 for the upstream tracking record.

Attack Vector

An attacker hosts a malicious HTML page and lures a user to visit it with a vulnerable version of Chrome on macOS. The page invokes the Web Bluetooth API and prompts the user to complete permission and device selection gestures. Once the gestures execute, the crafted JavaScript triggers the freed-object access, corrupting browser process memory and enabling a sandbox escape.

No verified public exploit code is available for CVE-2026-13785. Technical details are limited to the vendor advisory. Refer to the Google Chrome Stable Update for release notes.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13785

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome browser process (Google Chrome Helper) crashes on macOS endpoints referencing Bluetooth stack frames or heap corruption signatures
Unexpected child processes spawned from Google Chrome or Google Chrome Helper following visits to untrusted pages that request Bluetooth access
macOS ReportCrash or CrashReporter logs citing use-after-free style faults in Chrome's Bluetooth code paths

Detection Strategies

Inventory installed Chrome versions across macOS fleets and flag any host running a build earlier than 150.0.7871.47
Monitor endpoint telemetry for anomalous process lineage originating from Chrome, including shell, scripting, or persistence binaries launched by browser processes
Correlate web proxy or DNS telemetry with visits to newly registered or low-reputation domains that trigger Web Bluetooth permission prompts

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable EDR crash and exception telemetry on macOS endpoints and alert on repeated Chrome renderer or browser process faults
Track Web Bluetooth prompt activity through browser management policies where available and log unexpected requests
Feed browser version data into a vulnerability management workflow to enforce continuous patch compliance

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13785

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome on all macOS endpoints to version 150.0.7871.47 or later without delay
Force-restart Chrome after deploying the update to ensure the patched binary is loaded into memory
Restrict or disable the Web Bluetooth API through enterprise policy on managed macOS fleets where the feature is not required

Patch Information

Google released the fix in the Chrome Stable channel for macOS at version 150.0.7871.47. Deployment details are documented in the Google Chrome Stable Update release notes. Chromium-based browsers derived from the same source tree should be updated once vendors incorporate the upstream fix.

Workarounds

Disable the Web Bluetooth API using the DefaultWebBluetoothGuardSetting enterprise policy set to block until patching completes
Enforce user training to reject unexpected Bluetooth device chooser prompts on untrusted web pages
Use application allowlisting and browser isolation for high-risk users who cannot immediately update Chrome

bash

# Configuration example: enforce Chrome update and disable Web Bluetooth on macOS via MDM
# 1. Verify installed Chrome version
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version

# 2. Deploy managed policy to block Web Bluetooth (plist snippet)
defaults write com.google.Chrome DefaultWebBluetoothGuardSetting -int 2

# 3. Confirm policy applied
defaults read com.google.Chrome DefaultWebBluetoothGuardSetting