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Chrome · Views › Dialog

CVE-2026-102316

UAF in Views (Dialog)
High watch CVSS 9.6 chrome UAF 🔧 Commit mapped

Overview

High
Severity
9.6
CVSS
No
Exploited ITW
Fixed
Fix Status
ImpactUse after free in Views
DescriptionUse after free in Views
ComponentViews
Sub-componentDialog
Bug ClassUAF
Action tierwatch — corruption primitive but gated (uncommon) — not default-reachable
Computed by PatchGap's deterministic exploitability ruler from the fixing commit. patch-now = RCE-class & attacker-reachable in a default config, or exploited in the wild; watch = real security signal below that bar; noise = no security relevance.
Tracker560238698
Fix commitafb9b3f8eaf6 (chromium/src) +55/-20
CWECWE-416 (Use-after-free)
CVSS vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H
CISA KEVNot listed
CreditedXinyang Ge
Reported2026-09-11 (per vendor advisory)
Fix landed2026-09-18 (public git)
Disclosed2026-09-29
Patch gap11 days — fix public in source before the advisory

Background

`PictureInPictureWindowManager` (PiP manager)
the singleton that tracks and controls the active document/video picture-in-picture window and its associated objects.
`ExitPictureInPicture`
a method that synchronously closes any open PiP window and destroys objects tied to it, including per-tab TabFeatures.
`ExitPictureInPictureSoon`
a static helper that posts a task to exit PiP later, after the current call returns, avoiding re-entrant teardown.
`OnOcclusionStateChanged`
dialog-delegate observer callbacks (in shortcut/web-app dialogs) invoked when a PiP window occludes a dialog, which force the PiP window closed to prevent spoofing.

Root Cause Analysis

Several dialog occlusion observers (CreateDesktopShortcutDelegate::OnOcclusionStateChanged, WebAppModalDialogDelegate’s occlusion handler, and the handler in web_app_update_review_dialog.cc) responded to a PiP window occluding a dialog by calling ExitPictureInPicture() synchronously from within the observer/callback. That synchronous exit tore down the PiP window and destroyed the TabFeatures associated with it while the dialog-show / visibility-change flow that triggered the callback was still executing, so code that continued after the callback (attempting to show the dialog on that window) touched freed objects, producing an ASan-reported use-after-free.

The fix converts these call sites to the newly-promoted static ExitPictureInPictureSoon(), which posts the exit as an asynchronous task so teardown happens after the current stack unwinds rather than re-entrantly. The header change also documents ExitPictureInPicture as unsafe to call from callbacks/observers and directs such callers to the async variant.

Key insight
The mistake was performing synchronous, object-destroying PiP teardown from inside an observer notification, causing re-entrant destruction of objects still in use up the stack; the fix defers the teardown via ExitPictureInPictureSoon so it runs after the notification returns.

Attack Path

  1. Open a PiP window over a dialog A page/app opens a document or video picture-in-picture window positioned so it occludes a security-sensitive dialog (shortcut-creation or web-app modal).
  2. Trigger the occlusion observer The occlusion state change fires OnOcclusionStateChanged(occluded=true), whose anti-spoofing logic calls ExitPictureInPicture() synchronously.
  3. Re-entrant teardown frees TabFeatures The synchronous exit destroys the PiP window and its associated TabFeatures while the dialog show / visibility-change flow that invoked the observer is still on the stack. (inferred)
  4. Use-after-free on freed objects Continued execution of the dialog-showing path dereferences the now-freed objects, the ASan crash the commit fixes.

Impact Assessment

An attacker gains a use-after-free in the browser process by racing PiP teardown against dialog display, reachable when a PiP window occludes one of the affected dialogs. The advisory classifies this as a use-after-free in Views; whether the freed-object reuse is controllable enough for code execution is not established by the patch and would be (inferred). The regression tests confirm only that exit is now asynchronous and does not crash when no window exists.

Changed Functions

FunctionChangeNotes
if
chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/document_picture_in_picture_mixin_test_base.cc
 modified
if
chrome/browser/ui/views/shortcuts/create_desktop_shortcut_delegate.cc
 modified
if
chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_modal_dialog_delegate.cc
 modified
if
chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_update_review_dialog.cc
 modified
TEST_F
chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc
 modified

Files Changed

  • chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc
  • chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_modal_dialog_delegate.cc
  • chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/document_picture_in_picture_mixin_test_base.cc
  • chrome/browser/ui/views/shortcuts/create_desktop_shortcut_delegate.cc
  • chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager.h
  • chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_update_review_dialog.cc

Audit Directions

  • Synchronous destruction from observers
    Look for observer/callback bodies that synchronously destroy the object graph (windows, TabFeatures, controllers) that the notifying flow is still walking.
  • Re-entrant lifecycle calls during show/visibility
    Audit dialog and widget show / occlusion / visibility-change paths for calls that free the very objects being shown.
  • Sync vs. async teardown APIs
    Where a class exposes both immediate and “Soon”/posted-task variants, verify callbacks and observers use the deferred one.

Patch

view commit
From afb9b3f8eaf646f34743aa0f474988fc6970ff3f Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Alison Gale <[email protected]>
Date: Thu, 17 Sep 2026 17:08:45 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] [Dialog] Fix crash with pip and dialog manager

Synchronously tearing down the pip window destroyed the tab features
associated with it which caused an asan crash when trying to show a
dialog on that window. Switch to exposing the async version to prevent
this.

Bug: 560251736,560238698,560503095,562174487,467460499
Change-Id: Ie34406e317267d819472d90aec96914b4c5a38f5
Reviewed-on: https://chromium-review.googlesource.com/c/chromium/src/+/8408228
Commit-Queue: Alison Gale <[email protected]>
Reviewed-by: Benjamin Keen <[email protected]>
Cr-Commit-Position: refs/heads/main@{#1700295}
---
diff --git a/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/document_picture_in_picture_mixin_test_base.cc b/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/document_picture_in_picture_mixin_test_base.cc
index f42ec3f..d62f385 100644
--- a/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/document_picture_in_picture_mixin_test_base.cc
+++ b/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/document_picture_in_picture_mixin_test_base.cc
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 #include "base/files/file_path.h"
 #include "base/strings/strcat.h"
 #include "base/strings/string_number_conversions.h"
+#include "base/test/run_until.h"
 #include "base/time/time.h"
 #include "chrome/browser/ui/browser_window/public/browser_window_interface.h"
 #include "chrome/browser/ui/tabs/tab_strip_model.h"
@@ -78,17 +79,8 @@
 }
 
 bool DocumentPictureInPictureMixinTestBase::AwaitPipWindowClosedSuccessfully() {
-  auto* render_widget_host_view = GetRenderWidgetHostView();
-  if (!render_widget_host_view) {
-    return true;
-  }
-  ui_test_utils::CheckWaiter(
-      base::BindRepeating(&content::RenderWidgetHostView::IsShowing,
-                          base::Unretained(render_widget_host_view)),
-      false, base::Seconds(30))
-      .Wait();
-
-  return (GetRenderWidgetHostView() == nullptr);
+  return base::test::RunUntil(
+      [this]() { return GetRenderWidgetHostView() == nullptr; });
 }
 
 content::RenderWidgetHostView*
diff --git a/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager.h b/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager.h
index 444c5b4..063a8f7 100644
--- a/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager.h
+++ b/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager.h
@@ -117,8 +117,22 @@
   // Closes any existing picture-in-picture windows (video or document pip).
   // Returns true if a picture-in-picture window was closed, and false if there
   // were no picture-in-picture windows to close.
+  //
+  // NOTE: This synchronously closes the window and destroys associated objects
+  // (such as TabFeatures). Calling this synchronously from callbacks or
+  // observers (e.g. during widget show or visibility changes) can cause
+  // re-entrancy issues and use-after-free crashes. Use
+  // `ExitPictureInPictureSoon()` unless you know that synchronous closure will
+  // not be a problem.
   bool ExitPictureInPicture();
 
+  // Exits picture in picture soon, but not before this call returns.  If
+  // picture in picture closes between now and then, that's okay.  Intended as a
+  // helper for callbacks and observers to avoid re-entrant calls during pip
+  // set-up or in observer notifications (e.g. when an occluded dialog is being
+  // shown).
+  static void ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
+
   // Called to notify that the initiator web contents should be focused.
   void FocusInitiator();
 
@@ -352,10 +366,6 @@
   // Called when the document PiP parent web contents is being destroyed.
   void DocumentWebContentsDestroyed();
 
-  // Exits picture in picture soon, but not before this call returns.  If
-  // picture in picture closes between now and then, that's okay.  Intended as a
-  // helper class for callbacks, to avoid re-entrant calls during pip set-up.
-  static void ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
 
 #if !BUILDFLAG(IS_ANDROID)
   // Creates the `occlusion_tracker_` if it does not already exist and should
diff --git a/chrome/browser/ui/views/shortcuts/create_desktop_shortcut_delegate.cc b/chrome/browser/ui/views/shortcuts/create_desktop_shortcut_delegate.cc
index 1601d983..8cfd2e6 100644
--- a/chrome/browser/ui/views/shortcuts/create_desktop_shortcut_delegate.cc
+++ b/chrome/browser/ui/views/shortcuts/create_desktop_shortcut_delegate.cc
@@ -103,10 +103,8 @@
 }
 
 void CreateDesktopShortcutDelegate::OnOcclusionStateChanged(bool occluded) {
-  // If a picture-in-picture window is occluding the dialog, force it to close
-  // to prevent spoofing.
   if (occluded) {
-    PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->ExitPictureInPicture();
+    PictureInPictureWindowManager::ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_modal_dialog_delegate.cc b/chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_modal_dialog_delegate.cc
index f46ab3f7..2d563af 100644
--- a/chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_modal_dialog_delegate.cc
+++ b/chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_modal_dialog_delegate.cc
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
   // If a picture-in-picture window is occluding the dialog, force it to close
   // to prevent spoofing.
   if (occluded) {
-    PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->ExitPictureInPicture();
+    PictureInPictureWindowManager::ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_update_review_dialog.cc b/chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_update_review_dialog.cc
index 21ad4a98..0e2efda 100644
--- a/chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_update_review_dialog.cc
+++ b/chrome/browser/ui/views/web_apps/web_app_update_review_dialog.cc
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@
     // If a picture-in-picture window is occluding the dialog, force it to close
     // to prevent spoofing.
     if (occluded) {
-      PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->ExitPictureInPicture();
+      PictureInPictureWindowManager::ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc b/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc
index d1c3c50..7a9bb2d 100644
--- a/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc
+++ b/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc
@@ -176,6 +176,41 @@
       PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->ExitPictureInPicture());
 }
 
+TEST_F(PictureInPictureWindowManagerTest,
+       ExitPictureInPictureSoonClosesWindowAsynchronously) {
+  PictureInPictureWindowManager* picture_in_picture_window_manager =
+      PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance();
+  MockPictureInPictureWindowController controller;
+  picture_in_picture_window_manager->EnterPictureInPictureWithController(
+      &controller);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(picture_in_picture_window_manager->IsInPictureInPicture());
+
+  // Window should not be closed synchronously.
+  EXPECT_CALL(controller, Close(/*should_pause_video=*/false)).Times(0);
+  PictureInPictureWindowManager::ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
+  EXPECT_TRUE(picture_in_picture_window_manager->IsInPictureInPicture());
+
+  // Window should close asynchronously once the posted task runs.
+  base::RunLoop run_loop;
+  EXPECT_CALL(controller, Close(/*should_pause_video=*/false))
+      .WillOnce([&run_loop]() { run_loop.Quit(); });
+  run_loop.Run();
+  EXPECT_FALSE(picture_in_picture_window_manager->IsInPictureInPicture());
+}
+
+TEST_F(PictureInPictureWindowManagerTest,
+       ExitPictureInPictureSoonDoesNotCrashWhenThereIsNoWindow) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(
+      PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->IsInPictureInPicture());
+  PictureInPictureWindowManager::ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
+  base::RunLoop run_loop;
+  base::SequencedTaskRunner::GetCurrentDefault()->PostTask(
+      FROM_HERE, run_loop.QuitClosure());
+  run_loop.Run();
+  EXPECT_FALSE(
+      PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->IsInPictureInPicture());
+}
+
 TEST_F(PictureInPictureWindowManagerTest, IsInPictureInPicture) {
   PictureInPictureWindowManager* picture_in_picture_window_manager =
       PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance();
Loading diff…

Regression Test / PoC

shipped with the fix
diff --git a/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc b/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc
index d1c3c50..7a9bb2d 100644
--- a/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc
+++ b/chrome/browser/picture_in_picture/picture_in_picture_window_manager_unittest.cc
@@ -176,6 +176,41 @@
       PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->ExitPictureInPicture());
 }
 
+TEST_F(PictureInPictureWindowManagerTest,
+       ExitPictureInPictureSoonClosesWindowAsynchronously) {
+  PictureInPictureWindowManager* picture_in_picture_window_manager =
+      PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance();
+  MockPictureInPictureWindowController controller;
+  picture_in_picture_window_manager->EnterPictureInPictureWithController(
+      &controller);
+  EXPECT_TRUE(picture_in_picture_window_manager->IsInPictureInPicture());
+
+  // Window should not be closed synchronously.
+  EXPECT_CALL(controller, Close(/*should_pause_video=*/false)).Times(0);
+  PictureInPictureWindowManager::ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
+  EXPECT_TRUE(picture_in_picture_window_manager->IsInPictureInPicture());
+
+  // Window should close asynchronously once the posted task runs.
+  base::RunLoop run_loop;
+  EXPECT_CALL(controller, Close(/*should_pause_video=*/false))
+      .WillOnce([&run_loop]() { run_loop.Quit(); });
+  run_loop.Run();
+  EXPECT_FALSE(picture_in_picture_window_manager->IsInPictureInPicture());
+}
+
+TEST_F(PictureInPictureWindowManagerTest,
+       ExitPictureInPictureSoonDoesNotCrashWhenThereIsNoWindow) {
+  EXPECT_FALSE(
+      PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->IsInPictureInPicture());
+  PictureInPictureWindowManager::ExitPictureInPictureSoon();
+  base::RunLoop run_loop;
+  base::SequencedTaskRunner::GetCurrentDefault()->PostTask(
+      FROM_HERE, run_loop.QuitClosure());
+  run_loop.Run();
+  EXPECT_FALSE(
+      PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance()->IsInPictureInPicture());
+}
+
 TEST_F(PictureInPictureWindowManagerTest, IsInPictureInPicture) {
   PictureInPictureWindowManager* picture_in_picture_window_manager =
       PictureInPictureWindowManager::GetInstance();
Loading diff…
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