CVE-2026-13827: Google Chrome Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-13827 Overview

CVE-2026-13827 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Updater component of Google Chrome on macOS. The flaw affects Chrome versions prior to 150.0.7871.47 and allows a local attacker to escalate privileges through a malicious file. Google has rated the Chromium security severity as High. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416: Use After Free and impacts the Chrome update mechanism running on Apple macOS systems.

Critical Impact
A local attacker can achieve privilege escalation on macOS endpoints by exploiting freed memory in the Chrome Updater, potentially gaining elevated system privileges through a crafted malicious file.

Affected Products

Google Chrome on macOS versions prior to 150.0.7871.47
Apple macOS systems running vulnerable Chrome builds
Chrome Updater component on Mac desktop installations

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-30 - CVE-2026-13827 published to NVD
2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-13827

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Chrome Updater on macOS, the background component responsible for keeping Chrome current. A use-after-free condition occurs when the Updater references memory after it has been freed. An attacker with local access can trigger this dangling pointer condition to corrupt memory and hijack execution flow within a privileged process context.

Because the Updater runs with elevated privileges on macOS to install and modify application binaries, successful exploitation results in privilege escalation. Attackers can leverage this to gain higher-level access on the host, execute arbitrary code, or manipulate protected system resources. User interaction is required, typically to place or execute the malicious file that triggers the flaw.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper memory lifecycle management within the Updater [CWE-416]. An object is freed while a reference to its memory remains in use, allowing subsequent operations to read or write to reclaimed memory. When an attacker controls the contents of the reallocated region, they can influence function pointers or object state used by the privileged Updater process.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires local access to the target macOS system and user interaction. An attacker plants a malicious file that the Chrome Updater processes, triggering the use-after-free during an update operation. Successful exploitation yields code execution in the context of the Updater, which holds elevated privileges. The attack does not require prior authentication but does require the ability to place files or influence Updater workflows on the endpoint.

No public proof-of-concept exploit is currently available, and the CVE is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Further technical details are tracked in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-13827

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected files or directories created inside the Chrome Updater working paths on macOS, particularly under ~/Library/Application Support/Google/ and /Library/Google/
Chrome Updater processes (GoogleUpdater, ksadmin) spawning unexpected child processes or shells
Chrome versions on macOS endpoints reporting builds older than 150.0.7871.47 after the patch release window

Detection Strategies

Monitor process ancestry for anomalous children of the Chrome Updater binaries and correlate against known update workflows
Alert on file writes to Updater-controlled directories originating from non-Google-signed processes
Track privilege transitions where a low-privileged user process leads to elevated execution associated with Chrome update activity

Monitoring Recommendations

Collect macOS Endpoint Security telemetry covering process execution, file creation, and code-signing validation events
Inventory installed Chrome versions across the fleet and flag hosts running builds below 150.0.7871.47
Review Unified Log entries for com.google.Keystone and GoogleUpdater subsystems for crash signatures consistent with memory corruption

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-13827

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome on all macOS endpoints to version 150.0.7871.47 or later
Verify that the Chrome Updater (GoogleUpdater) service is running and successfully applying updates
Restrict local user ability to write to directories consumed by the Chrome Updater where feasible
Audit macOS endpoints for unauthorized files staged near Updater working directories

Patch Information

Google released the fix in the Chrome stable channel update documented in the Google Chrome Update Announcement. Administrators should confirm deployment by validating that Chrome reports version 150.0.7871.47 or higher under chrome://settings/help. Managed environments using MDM should push the updated Chrome package and confirm installation status through configuration reporting.

Workarounds

No official workaround exists; patching to the fixed Chrome version is the required remediation
Where immediate patching is not possible, limit local access to affected macOS hosts and enforce least-privilege user accounts
Enable macOS System Integrity Protection (SIP) and Gatekeeper to reduce the impact of malicious file execution

bash

# Verify installed Chrome version on macOS
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version

# Force Chrome Updater to check for updates
/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Resources/ksadmin --print-tickets
/Library/Google/GoogleSoftwareUpdate/GoogleSoftwareUpdate.bundle/Contents/Helpers/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/GoogleSoftwareUpdateAgent -runMode oneshot -userInitiated YES