Description

Use after free in Audio in Google Chrome on on Android prior to 152.0.7977.65 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to execute arbitrary code outside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)

Executive Summary

Technical Details

Mitigations

References

Additional Metadata

{
  "score": "8.3",
  "pubDate": "2026-08-25T21:18:14.930Z",
  "pubdate": "2026-08-25T21:18:14.930Z",
  "executiveSummary": "A Use-After-Free (UAF) vulnerability exists within the audio processing component of Google Chrome on Android. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker who has already successfully compromised the renderer process to achieve arbitrary code execution beyond the confines of the browser's security sandbox. The vulnerability affects Google Chrome for Android versions prior to 152.0.7977.65. By leveraging a specially crafted HTML page, an attacker can trigger the UAF condition, leading to potential system compromise or elevated privilege escalation. The risk is classified as Medium, primarily because it requires an initial renderer compromise, yet it remains critical due to its potential to break sandbox isolation, which is a foundational security control in the Chromium architecture.",
  "technicalDetails": "The vulnerability is rooted in a Use-After-Free (UAF) memory safety error within the Audio subsystem of the Chromium browser engine. A UAF condition occurs when an application continues to use a pointer to a memory location after that memory has been deallocated or freed. In the context of Chromium's audio processing, improper lifecycle management of audio-related objects—likely during the handling of Web Audio API operations or media stream object destruction—allows a dangling pointer to persist.\nThe attack flow begins with an attacker gaining an initial foothold in the renderer process, often achieved through a separate exploit targeting the browser's script engine or another surface. Once the renderer is compromised, the attacker directs the browser to process a crafted HTML page containing malicious JavaScript or specifically formatted media elements. These elements trigger the audio processing component to free a resource that is subsequently accessed again during an asynchronous operation or a race condition.\nBecause the renderer process operates within a restricted security sandbox, arbitrary code execution within the renderer is usually isolated from the underlying operating system. However, this UAF vulnerability provides a mechanism to facilitate sandbox escape. By manipulating the heap layout—often through techniques such as heap spraying or massaging the memory state—the attacker ensures that the freed memory block is reallocated with controlled data before the dangling pointer is dereferenced. When the application logic subsequently accesses the stale pointer, it executes attacker-controlled data as if it were a legitimate object or function pointer.\nUpon successful exploitation, the attacker can hijack the control flow of the application. Given that the renderer process has sufficient privileges to interface with system-level services for media playback, the exploitation of this UAF can lead to the execution of arbitrary code with the effective privileges of the browser application on the Android device, effectively bypassing sandbox restrictions. This enables the attacker to perform further malicious activities, such as exfiltrating data, installing persistent payloads, or interacting with deeper Android system APIs, contingent upon the remaining security posture of the mobile environment."
}