CVEs / CVE-2026-5281
CVE-2026-5281: Google Dawn Use-After-Free Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 1 Apr 2026
- high 8.8 CVSS 3.1 (from the CNA)
- EPSS 13.7% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 96% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
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.
Description
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)
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Google Chrome | from 146.0.7680.178, before 146.0.7680.178 | 146.0.7680.178 |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 1 Apr 2026 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 15 Apr 2026 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Unknown |
| Required action | Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.8 highCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by the CNA (134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0) |
|---|---|
| Weakness | CWE-416 |
References
- CVE-2026-5281 on NVD
- CVE-2026-5281 in the CISA KEV catalog
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_31.html (cited by CISA)
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2026/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_31.html Vendor Advisory
- https://issues.chromium.org/issues/491518608 Issue Tracking, Permissions Required
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2026-5281 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.