CVE-2026-6319: Google Chrome Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-6319 Overview

CVE-2026-6319 is a Use After Free vulnerability affecting the Payments component in Google Chrome on Android. This memory corruption flaw exists in versions prior to 147.0.7727.101 and allows a remote attacker who convinces a user to engage in specific UI gestures to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML page. Chromium has classified this vulnerability as Medium severity.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can achieve arbitrary code execution by exploiting this use-after-free condition in Chrome's Payments functionality, potentially compromising user financial data and device security.

Affected Products

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

Discovery Timeline

• 2026-04-15 - CVE-2026-6319 published to NVD
• 2026-04-16 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-6319

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), a critical memory corruption issue where a program continues to use a pointer after it has been freed. In the context of Chrome's Payments component on Android, this occurs when specific UI gestures trigger a sequence that references memory that has already been deallocated.

The attack requires user interaction, specifically convincing a victim to engage in particular UI gestures while viewing a malicious HTML page. The network-accessible nature of this vulnerability, combined with the potential for arbitrary code execution, makes it a significant threat for Chrome users on Android devices.

Root Cause

The root cause lies in improper memory lifecycle management within the Payments component of Google Chrome on Android. When certain UI gesture sequences are performed, the application fails to properly track object references, leading to a scenario where freed memory is accessed. This dangling pointer condition can be exploited to hijack program execution flow.

Use-after-free vulnerabilities in browser components like Payments are particularly dangerous because they handle sensitive financial information and have elevated privileges for processing transactions.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must craft a malicious HTML page designed to trigger the vulnerable code path in the Payments component. The victim must then be convinced to visit this page and perform specific UI gestures.

The exploitation scenario typically involves:

1. Attacker hosts or injects malicious HTML content on a web page
2. Victim navigates to the compromised page using Chrome on an Android device
3. Victim is socially engineered into performing specific UI interactions
4. The use-after-free condition is triggered, allowing arbitrary code execution in the browser's context

Due to the complexity of reliably exploiting use-after-free vulnerabilities and the required user interaction, the attack complexity is considered high. However, successful exploitation grants full code execution capabilities.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-6319

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Chrome crashes or abnormal behavior when interacting with payment-related features
• Anomalous memory access patterns in Chrome processes on Android devices
• Suspicious HTML pages attempting to trigger specific UI gesture sequences

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for unusual Chrome process behavior on Android endpoints, particularly crashes in the Payments component
• Implement network-level detection for known exploit patterns targeting this vulnerability
• Deploy browser crash analysis tools to identify potential exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's crash reporting to identify potential exploitation patterns
• Monitor for anomalous outbound connections following Chrome crashes or unusual behavior
• Review Chrome version inventory across managed Android devices to identify vulnerable installations

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-6319

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome on Android to version 147.0.7727.101 or later immediately
• Enforce Chrome auto-update policies across all managed Android devices
• Educate users about the risks of interacting with suspicious web pages

Patch Information

Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability. Users should update Chrome to version 147.0.7727.101 or later. The patch information is available in the Google Chrome Stable Update announcement. Additional technical details can be found in the Chromium Issue Tracker #499018889.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to untrusted websites until the patch can be applied
• Consider using alternative browsers on Android devices until Chrome is updated
• Implement web content filtering to block access to known malicious domains

For enterprise environments, administrators should prioritize deploying the updated Chrome version through mobile device management (MDM) solutions to ensure comprehensive coverage across all managed Android devices.