Threats / Google / CVE-2026-5281
CVE-2026-5281
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Google Dawn vulnerability
Google Dawn contains a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) that allows remote code execution through crafted HTML pages after renderer process compromise.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A remote attacker with prior renderer process compromise can exploit this use-after-free flaw to execute arbitrary code via malicious HTML, affecting Google Dawn and related Chromium-based products.
CISA KEV Yes · 2026-04-015EPSS 0.05036 (verify live)6Exploit Public PoC7CVSS 8.8 (CISA)4CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total4
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Public proof-of-concept exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
3 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2026-04-01).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.05036 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 8.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) · Affected: Google, Dawn. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CISA-assigned via the ADP container (CVE.org), version 3.1; the CNA left no metrics, so CISA's own score is used ahead of NVD.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-416 Use After Free — weakness family: Memory safety.CWE — CNA-assigned (CVE.org); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog the same day the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
Craft and deliver HTML content designed to trigger use-after-free conditions in the renderer process.
Business
Exposure to remote code execution attacks targeting users who visit attacker-controlled or compromised web content.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
Execute arbitrary code within the context of the compromised renderer process to escalate privileges or pivot to system resources.
Business
Risk of data theft, system compromise, and lateral movement within user environments running affected Chromium-based browsers.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
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