Google Chrome: Use-after-free in PDFium enables code execution in sandbox
Summary
A use-after-free memory-safety flaw in PDFium, the PDF rendering engine of Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.73, can be triggered by a crafted HTML page. A remote attacker may potentially execute arbitrary code inside the browser sandbox. The attack requires that a user visits the malicious page, but no authentication.
Affected
- Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.73
- Chromium-based browsers that include the affected PDFium code (vendor status varies)
- Debian Chromium packages: fixed version unknown
Fixed in
- Google Chrome 156.0.8078.73 or later (Stable update of 27 Oct 2026; newer Stable builds exist)
- Debian: fixed package version unknown
- Ubuntu chromium-browser package: not affected (Chromium snap is used)
Workaround
- No vendor workaround known. Updating Chrome is the fix.
- Until patched, limit browsing to trusted sites and avoid opening PDFs and links from untrusted sources.
Exploitation
- No evidence of exploitation in the wild as of 26 Oct 2026.
- No public proof-of-concept or exploit code found.
- Not listed in the CISA KEV catalogue.
- CISA SSVC: Exploitation none, Automatable no, Technical Impact total.
Our recommendation
- Update all Chrome installations to 156.0.8078.73 or later, ideally the latest Stable build, and restart the browser.
- Enforce automatic or managed updates for Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers.
- Check Chromebooks and Linux or Debian Chromium packages separately.
- Install the full October 2026 Chrome update, which fixes further security issues.
Public exploits
PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit and Exploit-DB list nothing for this CVE.
Research sources
- Chrome Releases: Stable Channel Update for Desktop chromereleases.googleblog.com
- Chromium issue tracker 574061024 issues.chromium.org
- Ubuntu security: CVE-2026-118345 ubuntu.com
- Red Hat CVE record via Vulners vulners.com
- Malwarebytes: Chrome and Firefox updates fix serious security flaws www.malwarebytes.com
- ChromeGeek: Chrome 156 security update with 52 fixes www.chromegeek.com
- OffSeq Radar: CVE-2026-118345 radar.offseq.com
- ThreatInt CVE record CVE-2026-118345 cve.threatint.com
Researched and written up in English and German by an AI (Claude by Anthropic) based on NVD, CISA, EPSS and the sources listed. The vendor information is authoritative. Researched on 31 Oct 2026, 09:51.
Original description (NVD)
Use after free in PDFium in Google Chrome prior to 156.0.8078.73 allowed a remote attacker to potentially execute arbitrary code inside the sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
Sources
The tracker combines official, freely usable data sources – updated continuously:
- NVD (NIST) – CVEs, rating (CVSS), affected products
- CISA KEV – vulnerabilities confirmed by CISA as actively exploited
- CISA Vulnrichment – CISA assessment (SSVC) in the official CVE record
- FIRST EPSS – probability of exploitation
- Microsoft MSRC – Patch Tuesday: vulnerabilities, severity, updates
- PoC-in-GitHub – public proof-of-concept repositories
- Metasploit (Rapid7) – modules of the Metasploit Framework
- Exploit-DB (OffSec) – archive of public exploits (links only)
- Patch days: official vendor pages (linked per vendor) (Vendor patch days)
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS data © FIRST.org.
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