CVE-2026-2313: Google Chrome CSS Use-After-Free Flaw

CVE-2026-2313 Overview

A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the CSS processing component of Google Chrome prior to version 145.0.7632.45. This memory corruption flaw allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption by convincing a user to visit a specially crafted HTML page. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management in Chrome's CSS engine, where memory is accessed after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior and potential code execution.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this heap corruption vulnerability to potentially achieve arbitrary code execution on victim systems through malicious web pages.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 145.0.7632.45
• Chromium-based browsers using vulnerable CSS components
• Microsoft Edge and other Chromium derivatives (until patched)

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-02-11 - CVE-2026-2313 published to NVD
• 2026-02-12 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-2313

Vulnerability Analysis

This use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) occurs in Google Chrome's CSS rendering engine. Use-after-free conditions arise when an application continues to reference memory after it has been freed, allowing attackers to manipulate the freed memory region. In this case, the CSS processing component fails to properly validate memory state before accessing previously allocated objects.

When Chrome parses maliciously crafted CSS within an HTML page, the vulnerability can be triggered, causing the browser to access heap memory that has already been deallocated. This creates an opportunity for heap corruption, which sophisticated attackers can leverage to gain control over program execution flow.

The attack requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must navigate to a malicious webpage. However, this is a common and realistic attack scenario given the prevalence of phishing and malvertising campaigns.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper lifecycle management of CSS-related objects in Chrome's rendering engine. When certain CSS operations are performed, memory is freed prematurely while dangling pointers still reference the deallocated region. Subsequent operations then access this stale pointer, resulting in a use-after-free condition.

This type of vulnerability is common in complex browser codebases where object lifetimes are difficult to track across multiple subsystems. The CSS engine's interaction with the layout and rendering pipelines creates complex ownership semantics that can lead to memory management errors.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2026-2313 is network-based, requiring user interaction with a malicious webpage:

1. Attacker creates a malicious HTML page containing specially crafted CSS designed to trigger the use-after-free condition
2. Victim is lured to visit the malicious page through phishing, malvertising, or compromised websites
3. Chrome's CSS engine parses the malicious content, triggering the vulnerability
4. Heap corruption occurs, potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the browser process

The vulnerability does not require elevated privileges and exploits can be triggered simply by viewing a webpage. While no public exploits are currently available, the high severity rating indicates significant exploitation potential.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-2313

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Chrome browser crashes, particularly when loading CSS-heavy pages
• Memory access violations or heap corruption errors in Chrome crash logs
• Suspicious network connections following browser anomalies
• Presence of obfuscated CSS content in browser cache or network logs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome crash reports indicating heap corruption or use-after-free conditions
• Deploy browser isolation solutions to contain potential exploitation attempts
• Implement web content filtering to block known malicious domains
• Use endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools to detect anomalous browser behavior

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable enhanced browser logging to capture CSS parsing errors
• Monitor Chrome's internal crash reporter for patterns indicating exploitation attempts
• Implement network traffic analysis to identify suspicious HTML/CSS payload delivery
• Configure SentinelOne agents to monitor for heap spray indicators and ROP chain execution

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-2313

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 145.0.7632.45 or later immediately
• Enable automatic Chrome updates to ensure timely security patches
• Consider deploying browser isolation solutions for high-risk users
• Educate users about phishing risks and suspicious websites

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 145.0.7632.45. The security update was announced via the Google Chrome Update Announcement. Organizations should prioritize deployment of this update across all endpoints.

For technical details on the specific issue, refer to the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Workarounds

• Enable Chrome's Site Isolation feature to limit cross-site exploitation
• Use browser extensions that block untrusted CSS from executing
• Implement network-level filtering to block access to known malicious domains
• Consider using a hardened browser configuration for sensitive activities

# Verify Chrome version on Linux/macOS
google-chrome --version
# Expected output: Google Chrome 145.0.7632.45 or higher

# Force Chrome update check
# Navigate to chrome://settings/help in the browser
# Or restart Chrome with update flag
google-chrome --check-for-update-interval=1