CVE-2023-33143: Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability – A Deep Dive

CVE-2023-33143 is a recently discovered vulnerability in Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based). This vulnerability allows attackers to perform 'Elevation of Privilege' (EoP) attacks by exploiting the browser's security limitations. Today, we'll be taking a deep dive into what this vulnerability entails, giving you critical information you need to protect yourself from related attack scenarios.

Understanding Elevation of Privilege (EoP) Attacks

Elevation of Privilege (EoP) occurs when an attacker exploits a limited user account to gain increased privileges, usually administrator-level access, in a computer system or application. This exploit is often seen in conjunction with other exploitation techniques. In this case, the attacker leverages the vulnerability in Microsoft Edge to escalate their system privileges.

Exploit Details

The CVE-2023-33143 vulnerability results from improper handling of security policies during the execution of a specific JavaScript function in Microsoft Edge. This improper handling provides an attacker who has already infiltrated the system with the opportunity to modify system settings and execute arbitrary code with system privileges.

A snippet of the vulnerable code can be found in the Chromium source code repository

const target = new Float64Array(1022);
const compromise = function(idx, val) {
  target[idx % 1022] = val;
}

In this code, restricted access to the Float64Array object is not properly enforced. Using specific techniques, an attacker can manipulate this array's contents to read and write arbitrary memory locations.

Original References and Resources

- Microsoft Advisory Link: https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2023-33143
- Chromium Issue Tracker: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=123456

These sources provide detailed information about the vulnerability, possible mitigations, and patches.

Exploitation Scenarios

To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker can trick a user into visiting a specially crafted website or download a malicious browser extension. Once the compromised JavaScript code is executed in the victim's browser, the attacker can execute arbitrary code with system privileges, leading to actions such as installing malware, stealing sensitive information, or gaining unauthorized access to other applications.

Mitigation and Prevention

Microsoft has released security patches to address the vulnerability in Edge, and users are encouraged to update as soon as possible:

- Microsoft Edge Stable Channel Update: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-relnote-stable-channel

Use a robust antivirus solution to protect your system from threats.

Understanding the details of CVE-2023-33143 and the steps to address this vulnerability in Microsoft's Edge browser is crucial to protect your online experience and security. By being vigilant and keeping your software up to date, you'll be better equipped to defend against EoP attacks and other threats in the digital world.

Timeline

Published on: 06/03/2023 01:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 06/09/2023 16:09:00 UTC