CVE-2026-6315: Google Chrome Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-6315 Overview

CVE-2026-6315 is a Use After Free vulnerability in the Permissions component of Google Chrome on Android prior to version 147.0.7727.101. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker who convinces a user to engage in specific UI gestures to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML page. Google has classified this vulnerability with a Chromium security severity rating of High.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can achieve arbitrary code execution on affected Android devices by exploiting this Use After Free condition through social engineering, requiring only user interaction with malicious web content.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome on Android prior to version 147.0.7727.101
• Chromium-based browsers using affected Permissions component versions

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-15 - CVE-2026-6315 published to NVD
• 2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-6315

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-416: Use After Free, a type of memory corruption flaw that occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been freed. In the context of Google Chrome's Permissions component on Android, this creates a dangerous condition where an attacker can manipulate memory allocation to achieve code execution.

The exploitation requires user interaction through specific UI gestures, indicating that the vulnerability is triggered through the permissions dialog or related UI elements in Chrome's Android implementation. When a user interacts with a specially crafted HTML page in a particular way, the freed memory can be reallocated with attacker-controlled data, allowing arbitrary code execution within the browser context.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper memory management within Chrome's Permissions component on Android. The vulnerability occurs when memory associated with a Permissions object is freed but a reference to that memory location is retained and subsequently accessed. This dangling pointer condition can be triggered through specific user interface interactions, creating an exploitable race condition or state confusion in the permissions handling code.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must:

1. Host a malicious HTML page containing exploit code
2. Convince a target user to visit the page (phishing, malicious ads, etc.)
3. Trigger specific UI gestures from the user (such as interacting with permission prompts)
4. Exploit the Use After Free condition when the vulnerability is triggered

Upon successful exploitation, the attacker can execute arbitrary code within the Chrome browser process on the victim's Android device, potentially leading to data theft, credential harvesting, or further system compromise.

The vulnerability mechanism involves memory corruption in the Permissions handling code. When specific UI gestures are performed on a crafted HTML page, the browser incorrectly accesses memory that has already been freed, allowing an attacker to potentially control execution flow. For technical implementation details, refer to the Chromium Issue Tracker #499247910.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-6315

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Chrome crashes on Android devices, particularly when interacting with permission dialogs
• Suspicious network connections originating from Chrome following visits to untrusted websites
• Unusual Chrome process behavior or memory consumption patterns on Android devices

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome versions below 147.0.7727.101 deployed across managed Android devices
• Implement web filtering to detect and block known malicious pages exploiting this vulnerability
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying Use After Free exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome crash reporting and analyze crash dumps for indicators of exploitation
• Monitor managed browser deployments for version compliance
• Implement network traffic analysis for suspicious outbound connections from mobile devices

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-6315

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome on all Android devices to version 147.0.7727.101 or later immediately
• Enable automatic updates for Chrome on all managed Android devices
• Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites and interacting with unexpected permission prompts

Patch Information

Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability in Chrome version 147.0.7727.101. The patch corrects the memory management issue in the Permissions component to prevent the Use After Free condition.

For detailed patch information, see the Google Chrome Desktop Update announcement.

Workarounds

• Restrict browsing to trusted websites only until patches can be applied
• Consider using alternative browsers temporarily on Android devices if immediate patching is not possible
• Implement web content filtering at the network level to reduce exposure to malicious pages

# Verify Chrome version on Android via ADB
adb shell dumpsys package com.android.chrome | grep versionName
# Expected output should show version 147.0.7727.101 or higher