Overview
CVE-2025-8292 is a critical “use after free” vulnerability that affects all versions of Google Chrome prior to 138.0.7204.183. This vulnerability, which lies within the Media Stream component, can be exploited by a remote attacker to potentially corrupt heap via a specially crafted HTML page. This high-severity vulnerability can potentially lead to system compromise or data leakage, posing a significant risk to users of affected Google Chrome versions.
The widespread use of Google Chrome as a preferred browser across the globe makes this vulnerability particularly dangerous. As it affects the Media Stream component, popularly used for streaming audio and video in real time, it poses a significant threat to both individual users and businesses that rely heavily on multimedia communication.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-8292
Severity: High (CVSS score: 8.8)
Attack Vector: Network
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
Product | Affected Versions
Google Chrome | Prior to 138.0.7204.183
How the Exploit Works
The “use after free” vulnerability is a type of memory corruption flaw that can lead to malicious code execution. In the case of CVE-2025-8292, the vulnerability exists in the Media Stream component of Google Chrome.
When a user visits a specially crafted HTML page, the attacker can trigger a ‘use after free’ condition in the Media Stream. This condition occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after it has been freed, leading to a corruption of the heap. The attacker can leverage this corruption to execute arbitrary code, potentially taking control of the system or causing data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
The following is a conceptual example of how a malicious HTML page might trigger the vulnerability. Note that this is a simplified example and real-world exploits would likely be more complex.
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<video id="myVideo" controls>
<source src="malicious.mp4" type="video/mp4">
</video>
<script>
var video = document.getElementById("myVideo");
video.oncanplaythrough = function() {
video.play();
// Trigger 'use after free' condition in Media Stream here
};
</script>
</body>
</html>In this example, the malicious.mp4 file has been specially crafted to trigger the ‘use after free’ condition in the Media Stream when it’s played. This could potentially allow the attacker to execute arbitrary code.
