Cyber Resilience

CVE-2026-6318

High

Published: 15 April 2026

Published
15 April 2026
Modified
27 May 2026
KEV Added
—
Patch
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CVSS Score v3.1 8.8 CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
EPSS Score 0.0033 25.1th percentile
Risk Priority 55 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2026-6318 is a high-severity Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability in Google Chrome. Its CVSS base score is 8.8 (High).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Drive-by Compromise (T1189); ranked at the 25.1th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 RA-5 (Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning) and SI-16 (Memory Protection).

Deeper analysis

CVE-2026-6318 is a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) in the Codecs component of Google Chrome prior to version 147.0.7727.101. Published on 2026-04-15, it carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 8.8 (AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) and is rated Medium severity by Chromium security.

A remote attacker can exploit this vulnerability by crafting an HTML page that, when loaded by a user, triggers the use-after-free error in the Codecs component. This allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code within the browser's sandbox, potentially compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability with high impact, though it requires user interaction such as visiting the malicious page.

Mitigation is available via the Google Chrome stable channel update for desktop, which includes the fix in version 147.0.7727.101; details are provided at https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/04/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_15.html. Additional technical information is documented in the Chromium issue tracker at https://issues.chromium.org/issues/495996858. Security practitioners should prioritize updating affected Chrome installations.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability details

Use after free in Codecs in Google Chrome prior to 147.0.7727.101 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)

CWE(s)
CWE-416

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise TechniquesAI

T1189 Drive-by Compromise Initial Access
Adversaries may gain access to a system through a user visiting a website over the normal course of browsing.
attack.mitre.org →
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
attack.mitre.org →
Why these techniques?

Use-after-free in Chrome Codecs enables arbitrary code execution via crafted HTML page loaded in browser, directly facilitating drive-by compromise (T1189) and client-side exploitation (T1203).

Confidence: HIGH · MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise v19.0

CVEs Like This One

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CVE-2026-7342Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-4680Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-7355Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-5284Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-9992Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-9118Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-7336Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-7974Same product: Apple Macos
CVE-2026-7352Same product: Apple Macos

Affected Assets

google
chrome
≤ 147.0.7727.101

Mitigating Controls

Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI

SI-2 Flaw Remediation good match
prevent

Directly mitigates CVE-2026-6318 by requiring identification, reporting, and timely patching of the use-after-free flaw in Chrome's Codecs component via updates to version 147.0.7727.101.

SI-16 Memory Protection good match
prevent

Implements memory protection safeguards like ASLR and DEP that prevent unauthorized code execution from use-after-free exploits in the Chrome Codecs component.

RA-5 Vulnerability Monitoring and Scanning good match
detect

Enables vulnerability scanning to identify and prioritize remediation of Chrome versions prior to 147.0.7727.101 affected by this use-after-free vulnerability.

References