CVE-2026-79210: Google Chrome Audio Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2026-79210 Overview

CVE-2026-79210 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the Audio component of Google Chrome on Android. The flaw affects Chrome versions prior to 152.0.7977.65. A remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process can exploit this vulnerability to execute arbitrary code outside the Chrome sandbox. Exploitation requires the victim to visit a crafted HTML page. Chromium rates the security severity as Medium, while NVD assigns a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.3 (High). The vulnerability enables sandbox escape, which is a critical primitive in modern browser exploit chains.

Critical Impact
Successful exploitation allows attackers to escape the Chrome renderer sandbox on Android and execute arbitrary code in a higher-privileged context via a crafted web page.

Affected Products

Google Chrome for Android versions prior to 152.0.7977.65
Chromium-based browsers on Android sharing the affected Audio component
Android applications embedding vulnerable Chromium WebView builds

Discovery Timeline

2026-08-25 - CVE-2026-79210 published to NVD
2026-08-27 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2026-79210

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in the Audio subsystem of Chrome on Android. A use-after-free condition [CWE-416] occurs when the code accesses memory that has already been released back to the allocator. In a browser context, this can be triggered through JavaScript or HTML that manipulates audio object lifecycles in ways the developers did not anticipate.

The advisory specifies that the attacker must have already compromised the renderer process. This positions the bug as a sandbox escape primitive rather than an initial access vector. Attackers typically chain a renderer-side remote code execution flaw with this Audio use-after-free to break out of the site-isolated renderer sandbox and gain code execution in a broker or GPU process context on Android.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper object lifetime management within Chrome's Audio component. When a reference to an audio-related object outlives the object's allocation, subsequent operations dereference a dangling pointer. Attackers can groom the heap to place attacker-controlled data at the freed address, converting the dangling access into a controlled read, write, or virtual call.

Attack Vector

The attack requires an attacker who has already achieved code execution inside a Chrome renderer process. From that position, the attacker serves a crafted HTML page that triggers the audio object lifecycle bug through the Audio IPC boundary. User interaction is required, consistent with the CVSS vector indicating a user must load or interact with the malicious page. Successful exploitation results in code execution outside the sandbox on the Android device.

No public proof-of-concept is available at time of publication. Technical details are tracked in Chromium Issue Tracker #501331457 and Google Chrome Stable Update release notes.

Detection Methods for CVE-2026-79210

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome for Android processes crashing with signals consistent with heap corruption in the Audio component
Unexpected child process spawning from Chrome on Android devices immediately after visiting a web page
Outbound network connections from Chrome-related processes to previously unseen infrastructure following a page load
Android WebView-based applications exhibiting anomalous native code execution after rendering untrusted HTML

Detection Strategies

Inventory installed Chrome versions across managed Android fleets and flag versions prior to 152.0.7977.65
Correlate browser crash telemetry with subsequent process creation and network activity to identify possible exploitation chains
Monitor mobile threat defense telemetry for anomalous Chrome behavior, especially process elevation and unexpected file writes

Monitoring Recommendations

Ingest Android endpoint and browser telemetry into a centralized data lake for correlation across renderer crashes and post-exploitation behavior
Track visits to newly registered or low-reputation domains from mobile browsers and flag correlations with browser instability
Alert on divergence between installed Chrome version and the vendor-published fixed version across the fleet

How to Mitigate CVE-2026-79210

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome on Android to version 152.0.7977.65 or later through the Google Play Store
Push managed Chrome updates via mobile device management (MDM) policy for enterprise Android devices
Rebuild and redistribute Android applications that embed vulnerable Chromium WebView components once fixed builds are available
Restrict browsing to trusted sites on unpatched devices until the update is applied

Patch Information

Google released the fix in the Chrome Stable channel. See the Google Chrome Stable Channel Update for release details. The corresponding Chromium bug is tracked in Chromium Issue Tracker #501331457. Users should verify that Chrome on Android reports version 152.0.7977.65 or newer under Settings > About Chrome.

Workarounds

No official workaround exists; upgrading to the patched Chrome version is the only supported remediation
Where immediate patching is not possible, restrict Chrome usage on Android to trusted internal sites and disable browsing to untrusted external content
Enforce network-level filtering to block access to known-malicious or newly registered domains from mobile endpoints

bash

# Verify installed Chrome version on a managed Android device via adb
adb shell dumpsys package com.android.chrome | grep versionName

# Expected output should show versionName=152.0.7977.65 or higher