CriticalCVE-2026-125350

    Chrome: Use After Free (CVE-2026-125350)

    Published In CISA KEV since Sources: BSI

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    What is affected, what to do

    Use after free in XML in Google Chrome prior to 157.0.8103.50 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)

    The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

    Conflicting version data — version display is hidden until the data is resolved.

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    Metrics

    8.8

    XIEM Effective CVSS

    Highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: Vendor (CNA), CVSS v3

    8.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: BSI

    1.0 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 62.2

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    Critical
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    184.18 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    actively exploitedSource: VulnCheck KEV (opens in a new tab), HKCERT How we classify
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    8.8 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    8.8
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    1.0 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    62.2
    High — this CVE ranks above the median of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 36%).
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited
    Published
    In CISA KEV since

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    CISA assessment (SSVC)
    Exploitation: active · not automatable · Technical impact: total
    Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 9 November 2026
    CWE

    CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.

    Read in glossary
    CWE-416

    Response and mitigation

    Why act now?

    Prioritisation rationale

    Chromium renderer bugs that yield code execution are a staple entry point for targeted drive-by campaigns and commercial-spyware exploit chains. Attackers typically pair them with a sandbox escape to compromise journalists, executives, government staff and administrators through crafted websites. The flaw is network-reachable without authentication and needs only a page visit. Exploitation likelihood is high, and CISA does not flag known ransomware use. Browsers run on practically every workstation and the patch carries minimal operational risk, so treat this as critical with a 24–72 h remediation window. Privileged workstations and exposed user groups come first.

    1. Runbook step 1

      Immediate response (0-24 h)

      • Update Google Chrome to 157.0.8103.50 / 157.0.8103.51 or later. Force the rollout via Google Update, Chrome Browser Cloud Management or your deployment tooling (Intune, SCCM, Jamf). The fix only takes effect after a browser restart. Set RelaunchNotification=2 (required) with a short RelaunchNotificationPeriod (e.g. 4 h = 14400000 ms).
      • Patch other Chromium-based browsers in parallel. CISA flags Microsoft Edge and Opera explicitly, and Brave and Vivaldi are also in scope. A patch is available from each vendor — look up the fixed version in the vendor advisory (for Edge, check the Microsoft Security Update Guide or the Edge release notes).
      • Inventory stragglers. Use EDR or vulnerability-management data to find every endpoint running Chrome < 157.0.8103.50. Start with privileged workstations (admin workstations, jump hosts, finance and HR), then RDS/VDI hosts where many users share one browser binary.
      • Kill browsing on servers. Close or uninstall browsers on domain controllers, OT engineering stations and servers unless there is a hard operational need.
      • Check embedded Chromium runtimes. Electron apps, CEF-based clients and kiosk systems do not update through Google Update. Track them separately and chase each vendor for a fixed build.

    2. Runbook step 2

      Mitigation layers

      • Configuration (browser policy): Enforce SitePerProcess=1 so strict site isolation is on. Make sure no TargetVersionPrefix pins clients to an old release. Enable Edge Enhanced Security Mode (EnhanceSecurityMode = Strict), which shrinks the JIT attack surface that renderer exploits typically rely on.
      • Network/proxy: Block "Uncategorized", "Newly Registered Domains" and "Parked" categories on the secure web gateway. Put high-risk user groups behind remote browser isolation, since targeted drive-by and watering-hole delivery is the usual vector.
      • Endpoint hardening: This bug only gives code execution inside the sandbox. Full compromise needs a second sandbox-escape or kernel bug, so keep OS patches (Windows kernel, drivers) current as well. Enable the ASR rule "Block executable files unless they meet prevalence, age or trusted list criteria" and apply WDAC/AppLocker to user-writable paths.
      • IAM/least privilege: Users should not hold local admin rights. Do not allow web browsing from admin accounts (tiering model).
      • Mail gateway: Rewrite or sandbox-detonate links to freshly registered domains. Exploitation requires the user to open a crafted page, so cutting off delivery is effective.

    3. Runbook step 3

      Detection rules

      • Sysmon EID 1 / EDR process tree: Watch for anomalous children of chrome.exe/msedge.exe. Sigma shape: ParentImage|endswith: ['\chrome.exe','\msedge.exe'] AND Image|endswith: ['\cmd.exe','\powershell.exe','\wscript.exe','\mshta.exe','\rundll32.exe','\regsvr32.exe']. Exclude chrome.exe --type= helpers and updaters.
      • Windows Application log EID 1000/1001: Clusters of renderer crashes (Faulting application name: chrome.exe, especially repeated for one user or URL) can indicate failed exploit attempts. Also pull Crashpad dumps from %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\Crashpad\reports.
      • Sysmon EID 11 / EID 3: Look for browser processes writing .exe/.dll/.ps1 outside the Downloads folder. Also flag new child processes that make outbound connections shortly after a page visit. KQL: DeviceProcessEvents | where InitiatingProcessFileName in~ ("chrome.exe","msedge.exe") and FileName in~ ("powershell.exe","cmd.exe","rundll32.exe")
      • Vulnerability telemetry: Run DeviceTvmSoftwareInventory | where SoftwareName has "chrome" as a daily compliance query, filtering with parse_version(SoftwareVersion) < parse_version("157.0.8103.50").
      • Proxy/Zeek logs: Correlate visits to rare or newly registered domains with a browser crash or suspicious child process seconds later. Detonate suspect URLs in an isolated environment.

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    Use after free in XML in Google Chrome prior to 157.0.8103.50 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)

    Source: BSI WID Portal

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    GoogleChrome
    • < 157.0.8103.50
    • < 157.0.8103.50
    • < 157.0.8103.51
    • 157.0.8103.50
    • 157.0.8103.50
    • 157.0.8103.51
    googlechrome
    • < 157.0.8103.50
    • 157.0.8103.50

    Vendors and products

    Affected operating systems

    Affected operating systems
    LinuxLinux—
    OtherSonstiges—
    WindowsWindows—

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-416Use After Free

      Variant

      The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

      Entry at MITRE CWE-416

    Public exploit references

    Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.

    Public exploit references
    CISA KEV CatalogCISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.govactively exploited
    HKCERTGoogle Chrome Multiple Vulnerabilities (opens in a new tab)HKCERTactively exploited

    References & sources

    Changes to this CVE

    Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).

    1. Record modifiedCISA ADP

      CISA assessment (SSVC): exploitation: active, automatable: no

      Show 2 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      SSVC assessmentremoved
      {"id":"CVE-2026-125350","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"active"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-11-10T19:50:47.350970Z"}
      —
      SSVC assessmentadded
      —
      {"id":"CVE-2026-125350","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"active"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-11-09T00:00:00+00:00"}

      Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    2. Initial analysis by NVDNVD

      Newly listed as affected:
      Show 5 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Product configurationadded
      —
      OR *cpe:2.3:a:google:chrome:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* versions up to (excluding) 157.0.8103.50
      Reference typeadded
      —
      Chrome: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/11/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_018223192.html Types: Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
      Reference typeadded
      —
      Chrome: https://issues.chromium.org/issues/582442907 Types: Permissions Required
      Reference typeadded
      —
      CISA-ADP: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-125350 Types: US Government Resource
      Reference typechanged
      nvd-ai-agent-0.4.0-gemma-4-31B-it: https://issues.chromium.org/issues/582442907 Types: Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory
      nvd-ai-agent-0.4.0-gemma-4-31B-it: https://issues.chromium.org/issues/582442907 Types: Issue Tracking, Permissions Required, Vendor Advisory

      Source identifier: nvd@nist.gov

    3. Record modifiedCISA ADP

      CVSS V3.1: AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

      CISA assessment (SSVC): exploitation: active, automatable: no

      Show 3 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      CVSSadded
      —
      AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-125350
      SSVC assessmentadded
      —
      {"id":"CVE-2026-125350","role":"CISA Coordinator","options":[{"exploitation":"active"},{"automatable":"no"},{"technicalImpact":"total"}],"version":"2.0.3","timestamp":"2026-11-10T19:50:47.350970Z"}

      Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    4. CISA KEV entry updated9119a7d8…

      4 individual changes: Date Added, Due Date, Required Action, Vulnerability Name

      Show 4 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Date Addedadded
      —
      2026-11-10
      Due Dateadded
      —
      2026-11-10
      Required Actionadded
      —
      2026-11-10
      Vulnerability Nameadded
      —
      2026-11-10

      Source identifier: 9119a7d8-5eab-497f-8521-727c672e3725

    5. ReceivedGoogle Chrome

      Weakness type: CWE-416

      Description added or changed

      Show 5 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Descriptionadded
      —
      Use after free in XML in Google Chrome prior to 157.0.8103.50 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
      Weakness type (CWE)added
      —
      CWE-416
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      New affected value received. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2026/125xxx/CVE-2026-125350.json">CVE-2026-125350</a>
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/11/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_018223192.html
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://issues.chromium.org/issues/582442907

      Source identifier: chrome-cve-admin@google.com

    Linked CVEs

    Linked CVEs
    CriticalCVE-2026-125350Google Chromium Use-After-Free Vulnerability8.8Actively exploited
    LowCVE-2026-125349Google Chrome: Use of Uninitialized Resource3.4—
    HighCVE-2026-125348Google Chrome: Out-of-bounds Write8.8—
    CriticalCVE-2026-125347Google Chrome: Incorrect Authorization9.6—
    HighCVE-2026-125346Google Chrome: Use After Free8.8—
    MediumCVE-2026-125345Google Chrome: Use of Uninitialized Resource4.7—
    HighCVE-2026-125344Google Chrome: Type Confusion8.8—
    HighCVE-2026-125343Google Chrome: Heap-based Buffer Overflow8.3—
    MediumCVE-2026-125342Google Chrome: Use of Uninitialized Resource4.7—

    Linked advisories

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