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VulnerabilityPublished

CVE-2026-5281: Google Chrome · Use After Free

Affects Google ChromeSource CVE Database V5

0
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Exploited in the wild · KEV due 15 Apr 2026 · 13% EPSS : upgrade to 146.0.7680.178 now.

Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 11:52 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
8.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
KEV deadline
 US federal agencies must patch by this date; a sensible deadline for everyone else. Other KEV due dates
EPSS
13.7% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 96% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 146.0.7680.178
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

t = 0 is the CVE’s publication on cve.org

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 1 Apr 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: evidence found.

    Public exploit code: GitHub proofs of concept

  4. Exploited in the wild: evidence found.

    Listed in CISA KEV the same day as disclosure

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

Timeline

  1. CVE ID reserved

    by Chrome

    , 9 hours before disclosure

  2. CVE published

    on cve.org

    , t = 0

  3. In Threat Radar

    record ingested

    , 12 minutes after disclosure

  4. , the same day as disclosure

  5. KEV remediation due

    US federal deadline

    , 14 days after disclosure

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), GitHub proofs of concept, CISA KEV (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 30 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade Google Chrome to 146.0.7680.178.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
GoogleChromeAffected
  • >=146.0.7680.178 <146.0.7680.178
Fixed in
  • 146.0.7680.178

Description

CVE-2026-5281 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Dawn component of Google Chrome versions prior to 146.0.7680.178. This flaw allows a remote attacker who has compromised the renderer process to execute arbitrary code by delivering a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability has a high severity rating with a CVSS score of 8.8, indicating significant impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. No known exploits in the wild have been reported. The vulnerability affects Chrome desktop versions before 146.0.

References

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