CVE-2026-14103: Google Chrome Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-14103 Overview

CVE-2026-14103 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the SSL component of Google Chrome on ChromeOS. The flaw affects Chrome versions prior to 150.0.7871.47. A remote attacker can exploit this issue by convincing a user to visit a crafted HTML page, resulting in disclosure of potentially sensitive information from process memory. The Chromium project classifies the underlying severity as Low, while NVD scores it 6.5 based on the confidentiality impact. No public exploit code or proof-of-concept has been observed, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can leak sensitive data from Chrome process memory on ChromeOS by luring users to a malicious HTML page.

Affected Products

Google Chrome on ChromeOS prior to 150.0.7871.47
Google ChromeOS (Chrome browser component)
Chromium-based browsers sharing the vulnerable SSL code path

Discovery Timeline

2026-06-30 - CVE-2026-14103 published to NVD
2026-07-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-14103

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a use-after-free condition [CWE-416] within the SSL subsystem of Google Chrome on ChromeOS. Use-after-free bugs occur when a program continues to reference memory after that memory has been released back to the allocator. In this case, SSL-related objects are accessed after their lifetime has ended, allowing an attacker to read stale contents of process memory.

The attack requires user interaction. A victim must navigate to a crafted HTML page that triggers the flawed SSL code path in the renderer or network stack. Successful exploitation leaks memory contents that may include session data, cryptographic material, or other sensitive artifacts residing in the Chrome process.

The issue is limited to information disclosure. There is no reported path to code execution, and integrity and availability are not directly impacted according to the CVSS vector.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper lifetime management of an SSL-related object. When the object is freed while still referenced elsewhere, subsequent reads dereference dangling memory. Because the freed region can be reused by other allocations, the reads may return data from unrelated Chrome operations, leading to memory disclosure.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is network-based and requires the victim to open attacker-controlled content. The attacker hosts a crafted HTML page that invokes the vulnerable SSL logic. When the victim visits the page, the browser processes the crafted content, triggers the freed object access, and returns memory contents observable to attacker-controlled script or network flows. See the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry for additional technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-14103

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome browser crash reports referencing SSL components on ChromeOS devices running versions prior to 150.0.7871.47.
Unexpected outbound connections from Chrome renderer processes following visits to untrusted HTML pages.
Browser telemetry showing repeated navigations to pages that trigger anomalous SSL negotiation errors.

Detection Strategies

Inventory ChromeOS endpoints and identify Chrome builds below 150.0.7871.47 via management console reporting.
Monitor web proxy and DNS logs for user visits to newly registered or low-reputation domains serving HTML content that triggers TLS anomalies.
Correlate Chrome crash dumps with URL history to identify potential exploitation attempts against the SSL component.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable Chrome Enterprise reporting to collect version, crash, and extension telemetry from managed ChromeOS devices.
Alert on Chrome processes generating unusual memory-read patterns or transmitting unexpected payloads to external endpoints.
Track advisories from the Google Chrome Releases Blog for related follow-up fixes.

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-14103

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome on ChromeOS to version 150.0.7871.47 or later on all managed devices.
Force a restart of Chrome after the update completes to ensure the patched binary is loaded.
Verify update compliance through the Google Admin console and remediate devices that fail to update automatically.

Patch Information

Google released the fix in Chrome 150.0.7871.47 for ChromeOS. Details are published in the Stable Channel Update for Desktop. Deployment on managed fleets should follow standard ChromeOS auto-update policies, with forced updates for devices that have deferred restarts.

Workarounds

Restrict user browsing to trusted sites via ChromeOS URL blocklist policies until patching is complete.
Disable or restrict third-party HTML content in high-risk user groups through enterprise policy.
Educate users to avoid opening untrusted links, especially on unpatched ChromeOS devices.

bash

# Verify Chrome version on ChromeOS via chrome://version
# Enforce minimum version through Google Admin console policy:
#   Devices > Chrome > Settings > Device > Auto-update settings
#   Set "Target version" to 150.0.7871.47 or later
#   Set "Auto-update" to Allow updates
#   Set "Scattered updates" to 0 days for immediate rollout