CVE-2022-26486
Use After Free in An unexpected message in the WebGPU IPC framework could lead to a use-after-free and exploitable sandbox escape
Executive Summary
CVE-2022-26486 is a critical severity vulnerability affecting binary-analysis. It is classified as Use After Free. This vulnerability is actively being exploited in the wild.
Precogs AI Insight
"The WebGPU IPC framework in Mozilla Firefox processes specific inter-process communication messages without properly tracking object lifecycles, leading to a Use-After-Free condition. A remote attacker can host a malicious website that triggers this flaw, breaking out of the Firefox sandbox and executing code on the host machine. The Precogs Binary SAST engine detects complex use-after-free conditions in compiled rendering engines."
What is this vulnerability?
CVE-2022-26486 is categorized as a critical Use After Free flaw with a CVSS base score of 9.6. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.
An unexpected message in the WebGPU IPC framework could lead to a use-after-free and exploitable sandbox escape. We have had reports of attacks in the wild abusing this flaw. This vulnerability affects Firefox < 97.0.2, Firefox ESR < 91.6.1, Firefox for Android < 97.3.0, Thunderbird < 91.6.2, and Focus < 97.3.0.
This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.
Risk Assessment
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| CVSS Base Score | 9.6 (CRITICAL) |
| Vector String | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Published | December 22, 2022 |
| Last Modified | November 4, 2025 |
| Related CWEs | CWE-416, CWE-416 |
Impact on Systems
✅ Remote Code Execution: Attackers can overwrite the instruction pointer to redirect execution to malicious shellcode.
✅ Memory Corruption: Overwriting adjacent memory regions can corrupt critical application state, leading to privilege escalation.
✅ Denial of Service: Triggering segmentation faults results in immediate disruption of critical systems.
How to Fix and Mitigate CVE-2022-26486
- Apply Vendor Patches Immediately: This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Verify Patch Deployment: Confirm all instances are updated using Precogs continuous monitoring.
- Review Audit Logs: Investigate historical access logs for indicators of compromise related to this attack surface.
- Implement Defense-in-Depth: Deploy WAF rules, network segmentation, and endpoint detection to limit blast radius.
Defending with Precogs AI
Precogs Binary SAST/DAST engine performs deep structural analysis of compiled binaries, detecting memory corruption, control-flow hijacking, and privilege escalation vulnerabilities without requiring source code access.
Use Precogs to continuously scan your codebase, binaries, APIs, and infrastructure for this vulnerability class and related attack patterns. Our AI-powered detection engine combines static analysis with threat intelligence to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.
Vulnerability Code Signature
Attack Data Flow
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | Memory allocation pointer |
| Vector | Pointer is accessed after the memory has been freed |
| Sink | Dangling pointer dereference |
| Impact | Memory corruption, sandbox escape, Remote Code Execution (RCE) |
Vulnerable Code Pattern
// ❌ VULNERABLE: Use After Free
char *ptr = malloc(256);
free(ptr);
// Taint sink: accessing freed memory
strcpy(ptr, "Exploit payload");
Secure Code Pattern
// ✅ SECURE: Nullifying pointers
char *ptr = malloc(256);
free(ptr);
// Sanitized state: pointer set to NULL
ptr = NULL;
How Precogs Detects This
Precogs Binary SAST engine identifies dangling pointers and complex use-after-free conditions in compiled rendering engines and system libraries.\n