CVE-2026-5281 Google Dawn Use-After-Free Added to KEV Catalog

CISA ICS-CERT Advisories

Published April 1st, 2026

Detected April 1st, 2026

Summary

CISA added CVE-2026-5281, a Google Dawn Use-After-Free vulnerability, to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog based on evidence of active exploitation. The vulnerability poses significant risks to federal enterprise networks. BOD 22-01 establishes remediation requirements for Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies.

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What changed

CISA has added one new vulnerability to the KEV Catalog: CVE-2026-5281 (Google Dawn Use-After-Free). This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Google Dawn, a web graphics library, with confirmed evidence of active exploitation. The KEV Catalog was established by BOD 22-01 as a living list of CVEs carrying significant risk to the federal enterprise.

FCEB agencies are required to remediate this vulnerability by the due date specified in the catalog. All organizations are urged by CISA to prioritize timely remediation of KEV Catalog vulnerabilities as part of their vulnerability management practice. Organizations should immediately check for instances of Google Dawn and this specific CVE in their environments and apply patches or mitigations.

What to do next

Identify assets running Google Dawn and check for CVE-2026-5281
Apply available patches or mitigations for the Use-After-Free vulnerability
Prioritize this CVE in vulnerability management given active exploitation status

Source document (simplified)

Alert

CISA Adds One Known Exploited Vulnerability to Catalog

Release Date

April 01, 2026

CISA has added one new vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) Catalog, based on evidence of active exploitation.

CVE-2026-5281 Google Dawn Use-After-Free Vulnerability This type of vulnerability is a frequent attack vector for malicious cyber actors and poses significant risks to the federal enterprise.

Binding Operational Directive (BOD) 22-01: Reducing the Significant Risk of Known Exploited Vulnerabilities established the KEV Catalog as a living list of known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) that carry significant risk to the federal enterprise. BOD 22-01 requires Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB) agencies to remediate identified vulnerabilities by the due date to protect FCEB networks against active threats. See the BOD 22-01 Fact Sheet for more information.

Although BOD 22-01 only applies to FCEB agencies, CISA strongly urges all organizations to reduce their exposure to cyberattacks by prioritizing timely remediation of KEV Catalog vulnerabilities as part of their vulnerability management practice. CISA will continue to add vulnerabilities to the catalog that meet the specified criteria.

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