CVE-2023-2940 is a security vulnerability in Google Chrome that puts users at risk by allowing an attacker to bypass file access restrictions. This article will dive deep into this vulnerability and provide insight into its inner workings, the potential dangers it poses, and how users can mitigate the risks associated with it.

Background

Before we dig into the details of CVE-2023-2940, it is essential to understand the nature of the vulnerability. In simpler terms, this specific vulnerability is an "inappropriate implementation" in the Downloads feature of Google Chrome versions prior to 114..5735.90. This inappropriate implementation allows an attacker who has convinced a user to install a malicious extension to bypass file access restrictions using a specially crafted HTML page. The Chromium security team has classified this vulnerability as having a medium severity level.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker must first deceive a user into installing a malicious extension. Once the extension is installed, it can create a crafted HTML page designed to bypass Chrome's file access restrictions. This may enable the attacker to access potentially sensitive information on the user's system, or perform other malicious actions such as modifying or deleting files without the user's knowledge.

Here is a code snippet illustrating a possible implementation of a crafted HTML page designed to exploit this vulnerability:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <script src="malicious_extension.js"></script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <button onclick="exploitCVE20232940()">Exploit CVE-2023-2940</button>
  </body>
</html>


In this example, the malicious_extension.js script would contain the malicious code required to bypass Chrome's file access restrictions.

References

For more in-depth information about CVE-2023-2940, you can refer to the following original references:

1. Chromium Security Team Announcement: Chromium Bug Tracker - Issue 1337133
2. Chrome Releases Blog: Stable Channel Update for Desktop

Mitigation

Google has already addressed this vulnerability in Google Chrome version 114..5735.90. Therefore, to mitigate the risks associated with CVE-2023-2940, users should make sure they are using the latest version of Google Chrome, which can be downloaded at the following link: Google Chrome Download

Conclusion

While CVE-2023-2940 may not be considered a high-severity vulnerability, it still poses a potential risk to users' security and privacy. By understanding how this vulnerability works and updating to the latest version of Google Chrome, users can take an essential step in maintaining their online security.

Timeline

Published on: 05/30/2023 22:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 06/02/2023 15:01:00 UTC