Security Digest · Vulnerability record · Known exploited
CVE-2026-5281: Google Dawn Use-After-Free Vulnerability
Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV). 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.
CISA KEV · added 2026-04-01 CVSS 8.8 High EPSS 0.7% · p53
Should you act?
Exploited: patch now if you run it
CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild. This signal is computed from CISA KEV, EPSS and CVSS data; it is not an editorial verdict.
- Yes, if you run Google Dawn. CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-01, which means there is reliable evidence of exploitation in the wild. US federal agencies must remediate by 2026-04-15; treat that as the outer limit, not the target.
- EPSS 0.7%, percentile 53: FIRST’s model estimates a 0.7% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 53% of all scored CVEs (moderate). EPSS is a probability, not a verdict.
- Needs a user to click or open something. Phishing makes that realistic, but it is not wormable.
What it is
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)
CISA’s 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.
Weakness type: CWE-416.
Product: Google Dawn · Assigned by: Chrome · Published: 2026-04-01
Affected and fixed versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions (per CVE record) |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome | 146.0.7680.178 < 146.0.7680.178 |
Severity scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADP | 3.1 | 8.8 High | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- Attack vector: network (remotely reachable)
- Attack complexity: low
- Privileges required: none (no login)
- User interaction: required (a user must click/open something)
- Scope: unchanged
CVSS measures how bad a flaw is if exploited, not how likely exploitation is. Read it next to the exploitation data below.
Exploitation and urgency
- CISA KEV: added 2026-04-01; federal due date 2026-04-15. Known ransomware use: Unknown.
- CISA 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.
- CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
- FIRST EPSS (model of 2026-10-21): 0.70% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days; percentile 53.
Timeline
- — Added to CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog
- — CVE record published by Chrome
- — CVE record last updated
- — CISA remediation deadline for US federal agencies
Sources and references
Original sources first. Version and fix details should always be confirmed against the vendor or project advisory.
Vendor and project advisories, patches
- Listed in CISA KEV notes (chromereleases.googleblog.com) chromereleases.googleblog.com
Vulnerability records
- CVE.org record CVE-2026-5281 cve.org
- NVD entry CVE-2026-5281 nvd.nist.gov
Government
Other references from the CVE record and advisory
- issues.chromium.org issues.chromium.org
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