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CVE-2026-5281

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in Google Dawn. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws; for Google’s, see Google flaws being used in attacks.

CVE-2026-5281 is a security flaw in Google Dawn. A booby-trapped web page can run an attacker's code through Google Dawn. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 1 Apr 2026.[1]

Google Dawn is business software or equipment. Most families won’t have it, but attackers break into it to get inside companies, and from there to what those companies hold about their customers, patients and staff. Fixed in version 146.0.7680.178 of Chrome.

Description

CISA calls it an use-after-free in Google Dawn. In its words: “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.”[1]

The underlying weakness is use after free (CWE-416), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.[2]

It scores 8.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by the organisation that published the CVE using CVSS 3.1.[2]

Affected versions

NVD’s record lists one fixed version: everything before it is affected.[2]

ProductFixed in
Chrome146.0.7680.178

Most families won’t have Google Dawn; it’s for whoever looks after IT at work.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 1 Apr 2026, within a day of it being made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 15 Apr 2026 to fix it.[1]

FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 14%. That’s in the top 4% of the flaws it scores.[4]

CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.

CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.

Fix

Google has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s 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.”[1]

  1. Check whether you use it.Google Dawn is business software or equipment, so most families won’t have it. If you run a business, or work from home on company equipment, ask whoever looks after your IT.
  2. Send this page to your IT person.Ask them to confirm it’s fixed (fixed in version 146.0.7680.178 of Chrome), or not in use. CISA gave US government agencies until 15 Apr 2026 to fix it.
  3. If it can’t be fixed, take it offline.CISA’s advice when there’s no fix is to stop using the product, or take it off the internet, until there is one.

You can’t fix someone else’s server, but you can watch for what follows a break-in like this: a breach notice, a password reset you didn’t ask for, or a scam message that knows things it shouldn’t. HARD watches for those for you and your family.

Timeline

DateEvent
The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 8.8.[2]
CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1]
CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1]
FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 14%.[4]

See also

Other Google flaws

  • CVE-2026-111497, Google Brotli: unchecked return value ·
  • CVE-2026-58704, Google Pixel: improper authorization ·
  • CVE-2026-87491, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: out of bounds write ·
  • CVE-2026-85046, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: type confusion ·
  • CVE-2026-11645, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: out-of-bounds read and write ·

Other use after free flaws

  • CVE-2026-109619, PHP: stale internal request-state ·
  • CVE-2026-109618, PHP: memory corruption ·
  • CVE-2026-68820, Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock: use-after-free ·
  • CVE-2010-0249, Microsoft Internet Explorer: use-after-free ·
  • CVE-2020-9715, Adobe Acrobat: use-after-free ·

Every Google flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in April 2026

References

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Google Dawn Use-After-Free Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 1 Apr 2026.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2026-5281 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 1 Apr 2026.
  3. ^ Google. Advisories and fixes: chromereleases.googleblog.com.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.137, percentile 96.5, 31 Oct 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2026-5281”. The official CVE record.

This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.