Use After Free in Dawn (Chrome <146.0.7680.178)
CVE-2026-5281 Published on April 1, 2026
Use after free in Dawn in Google Chrome prior to 146.0.7680.178 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
Known Exploited Vulnerability
This Google Dawn Use-After-Free Vulnerability is part of CISA's list of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities. Google Dawn contains an use-after-free vulnerability that could allow a remote attacker who had compromised the renderer process to execute arbitrary code via a crafted HTML page. This vulnerability could affect multiple Chromium-based products including, but not limited to, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera.
The following remediation steps are recommended / required by April 15, 2026: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Vulnerability Analysis
CVE-2026-5281 can be exploited with network access, requires user interaction. This vulnerability is considered to have a low attack complexity. This vulnerability is known to be actively exploited by threat actors. The potential impact of an exploit of this vulnerability is considered to be very high.
Weakness Type
What is a Dangling pointer Vulnerability?
Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code.
CVE-2026-5281 has been classified to as a Dangling pointer vulnerability or weakness.
Products Associated with CVE-2026-5281
Want to know whenever a new CVE is published for Google Chrome? stack.watch will email you.
Affected Versions
Google Chrome:- Version 146.0.7680.178 and below 146.0.7680.178 is affected.