Google has recently issued an urgent security update for its Chrome browser to address a critical use-after-free vulnerability identified as CVE-2025-9478. This flaw resides within Chrome’s ANGLE (Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine) library, which is responsible for translating OpenGL ES API calls to hardware-specific graphics APIs such as Direct3D, Vulkan, and native OpenGL. The vulnerability affects Chrome versions prior to 139.0.7258.154/.155 across Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.
Understanding the Vulnerability
Use-after-free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use a memory pointer after the memory has been deallocated. This can lead to heap manipulation and memory corruption attacks. In the case of CVE-2025-9478, the flaw in ANGLE’s memory management routines can be exploited through maliciously crafted web content that triggers improper memory deallocation sequences. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Chrome renderer process, potentially leading to sandbox escape and full system compromise.
Discovery and Severity
The vulnerability was discovered by Google’s Big Sleep AI-powered vulnerability research team on August 11, 2025. It has been assigned the highest CVSS severity rating, underscoring the critical nature of the flaw. Given ANGLE’s widespread usage across web applications that utilize WebGL rendering, HTML5 Canvas operations, and GPU-accelerated graphics processing, the potential impact is significant. Attackers could leverage drive-by download attacks, malicious advertisements, or compromised websites to deliver exploit payloads targeting this memory corruption flaw.
Mitigation Measures
To mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability, organizations and individual users are strongly advised to:
1. Update Chrome Immediately: Ensure that Chrome is updated to version 139.0.7258.154 or later. This update includes comprehensive patches for the ANGLE library’s memory management functions and enhanced heap protection mechanisms to prevent similar use-after-free conditions.
2. Implement Security Solutions: Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts. Additionally, consider using Content Security Policy (CSP) headers and browser isolation technologies to limit the attack surface for web-based exploits targeting this vulnerability class.
3. Monitor for Unusual Activity: Given the critical nature of this flaw and its potential for zero-day exploitation, security professionals should monitor for unusual network traffic patterns, unexpected process spawning, and anomalous memory allocation behaviors that may indicate active exploitation attempts against unpatched Chrome installations.
Conclusion
The discovery of CVE-2025-9478 highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining secure software environments, especially in widely used applications like Google Chrome. By promptly updating to the latest version and implementing recommended security measures, users can protect themselves against potential exploits targeting this critical vulnerability.
