CVE-2025-10501 is a high-severity use-after-free vulnerability found in the WebRTC component of Google Chrome versions prior to 140.0.7339.185. WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is a widely used technology embedded in browsers to enable peer-to-peer audio, video, and data sharing without requiring plugins. The vulnerability arises from improper memory management where a reference to a freed object is accessed, leading to heap corruption. An attacker can exploit this flaw by crafting a malicious HTML page that triggers the use-after-free condition when loaded by a victim's browser. This can result in arbitrary code execution, allowing the attacker to run code in the context of the browser process. The vulnerability requires no privileges and only limited user interaction (visiting a malicious webpage). The CVSS v3.1 base score is 8.8, reflecting high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, with network attack vector, low attack complexity, no privileges required, and user interaction needed. Although no known exploits are reported in the wild yet, the nature of the vulnerability and its presence in a widely used browser component make it a significant threat. The vulnerability affects all platforms running the vulnerable Chrome versions, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Since WebRTC is commonly used in many web applications and services, exploitation could lead to browser compromise, data theft, or further network intrusion.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk due to the widespread use of Google Chrome as the primary web browser in corporate and public sectors. Successful exploitation could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive information, disruption of business operations, and potential lateral movement within internal networks if attackers leverage the browser compromise as an initial foothold. Organizations relying on WebRTC-based applications for communication, such as video conferencing and real-time collaboration tools, are particularly vulnerable. The impact extends to critical infrastructure sectors, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and government agencies where confidentiality and integrity of data are paramount. Additionally, the vulnerability could be leveraged in targeted phishing campaigns, increasing the risk of successful social engineering attacks. Given the high CVSS score and the ease of exploitation via a crafted webpage, the threat could lead to widespread compromise if patches are not applied promptly.

European organizations should prioritize updating Google Chrome to version 140.0.7339.185 or later immediately to remediate this vulnerability. Beyond patching, organizations should implement network-level protections such as web filtering to block access to known malicious sites and employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious browser behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. User awareness training should emphasize caution when clicking on links or visiting unknown websites, especially those received via email or messaging platforms. For environments where immediate patching is not feasible, disabling or restricting WebRTC functionality through browser policies or extensions can reduce the attack surface. Security teams should also review and tighten browser sandboxing and privilege restrictions to limit the potential impact of a successful exploit. Regular vulnerability scanning and penetration testing should include checks for outdated browser versions to ensure compliance with security policies.