CVE-2026-15112: Google Chrome Ozone Use-After-Free Flaw

CVE-2026-15112 Overview

CVE-2026-15112 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the Ozone component of Google Chrome. Versions prior to 150.0.7871.115 are affected. A remote attacker can exploit heap corruption by tricking a user into visiting a crafted HTML page. Chromium classifies the security severity as Critical, while the NVD assigns a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8. Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution within the renderer process, enabling sandbox escape chains or browser compromise.

Critical Impact
A crafted web page can trigger heap corruption in Chrome's Ozone graphics abstraction layer, enabling remote code execution scenarios after user interaction.

Affected Products

Google Chrome desktop versions prior to 150.0.7871.115
Chromium-based browsers embedding the vulnerable Ozone code
Downstream distributions bundling pre-patched Chromium releases

Discovery Timeline

2026-07-08 - CVE-2026-15112 published to NVD
2026-07-09 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-15112

Vulnerability Analysis

The defect lives in Ozone, Chromium's platform abstraction layer for windowing, input, and graphics buffer management across Linux, Chrome OS, and Wayland backends. A use-after-free condition arises when a reference to an Ozone-managed object is retained after the underlying allocation has been released. Subsequent access reads or writes into memory that may already hold attacker-controlled data. Because rendering and compositor pathways in Ozone process content derived from web pages, a crafted HTML document can drive the object lifecycle into the vulnerable state. Attackers pair heap-corruption primitives with a spray to gain control over freed slots and pivot toward code execution inside the renderer sandbox.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper object lifetime management [CWE-416] in Ozone. A pointer or handle continues to be used after the referenced object has been freed. This kind of dangling reference in a security-critical graphics path allows an attacker to reclaim the freed region with controlled data.

Attack Vector

Exploitation occurs over the network with low attack complexity and requires user interaction, such as visiting a malicious site or opening a page that loads attacker-controlled content. No authentication is required. See the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry and the Google Chrome Release Update for vendor context.

No verified exploit code is publicly available. The vulnerability is
triggered by a crafted HTML page that manipulates Ozone object lifetimes
to reach a freed allocation, then reclaims that slot with controlled
heap contents to corrupt subsequent operations.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-15112

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome renderer process crashes referencing Ozone, Wayland, or compositor frames in stack traces
Browser telemetry showing repeated tab crashes after visiting a specific URL
Unexpected child processes spawned by chrome.exe or chrome following navigation events
Outbound connections from renderer or utility processes to unfamiliar hosts

Detection Strategies

Inventory Chrome installations and flag any build below 150.0.7871.115
Correlate crash dump telemetry with URL history to identify pages triggering renderer faults in Ozone code paths
Alert on Chrome processes launching shells, script interpreters, or LOLBins after web navigation

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest EDR process-tree and crash telemetry into your SIEM and monitor for anomalous Chrome child processes
Track browser version compliance continuously through endpoint management tooling
Monitor DNS and proxy logs for user visits to newly registered or low-reputation domains delivering HTML payloads

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-15112

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome to version 150.0.7871.115 or later on all managed endpoints
Restart browser instances after update to ensure the patched binary is loaded
Audit Chromium-based browsers and embedded frameworks for equivalent fixes from their maintainers
Restrict browsing to trusted sites for high-value users until patch deployment completes

Patch Information

Google addressed the issue in the Stable channel release documented in the Google Chrome Release Update. Upgrade to Chrome 150.0.7871.115 or newer. Enterprises using managed browser policies should force-update through Google Update, Chrome Browser Cloud Management, or their MDM platform.

Workarounds

Enforce Chrome auto-update policies so endpoints receive the fixed build without user action
Deploy web filtering to block untrusted external content until patching is verified
Consider Site Isolation and strict enterprise policies limiting execution of untrusted HTML in sensitive workflows

bash

# Verify installed Chrome version on Linux/macOS endpoints
google-chrome --version

# Windows: query the installed version via registry
reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Google\Update\Clients\{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96}" /v pv

# Force update through the enterprise policy channel
# Set UpdateDefault=1 and TargetVersionPrefix=150.0.7871.115