A newly discovered vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-36027 impacts Microsoft Edge, the popular Chromium-based web browser. This vulnerability allows an attacker to exploit elevation of privilege issues, resulting in potential arbitrary code execution on the affected system. This blog post will discuss the details of this vulnerability, including the affected versions of Microsoft Edge, how to mitigate the risk, and sample code snippets.

Vulnerability Details

CVE-2023-36027 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability that exists in the way Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) handles certain processes. An attacker who can successfully exploit this vulnerability could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. If the current user is logged in with administrative privileges, the attacker could potentially gain full control over the affected system.

Original references

- CVE-ID: CVE-2023-36027
- Microsoft Security Advisory

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by

1. Convincing a user to visit a specially crafted website using a vulnerable version of Microsoft Edge, or
2. Embed malicious HTML or JavaScript code in a legitimate, and commonly visited website, which when rendered by the user’s browser, triggers the exploit.

Below is a sample code snippet that demonstrates how the vulnerability can be exploited

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<script>
function exploit() {
    // Payload to exploit the vulnerability
}
function triggerExploit() {
    exploit();
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<button onclick="triggerExploit()">Exploit CVE-2023-36027</button>
</body>
</html>

It is important to note that the actual exploitation process may be much more complex and involve various techniques to bypass security mitigations and exploit the vulnerability effectively.

To protect your systems from CVE-2023-36027 exploits, follow these steps

1. Update your Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) browser to the latest version, which contains the necessary patches to address this vulnerability.
2. Implement least privilege principles for user accounts, meaning, avoid giving users more permissions than they need to perform their tasks. This will limit the impact of exploitation in case an attacker gains code execution capabilities.
3. Deploy website and application filtering mechanisms to block known malicious sites that may host exploits for this vulnerability.
4. Educate users to be cautious when visiting unfamiliar websites and exercise caution while clicking on unknown or suspicious links.

Conclusion

CVE-2023-36027 is a severe elevation of privilege vulnerability impacting Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) users. By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can gain arbitrary code execution capabilities on the affected system, potentially leading to a full compromise.

It is essential to keep your web browser up to date and implement necessary security measures to mitigate the risks associated with such vulnerabilities. Awareness and preparedness are crucial while navigating the ever-evolving threat landscape of the internet.

Timeline

Published on: 11/10/2023 20:15:07 UTC
Last modified on: 11/16/2023 20:02:02 UTC