CVE-2023-5482: Analyzing the Insufficient Data Validation Vulnerability in USB in Google Chrome

In this post, we'll be discussing the recent discovery of a high-severity vulnerability in Google Chrome, affecting versions prior to 119..6045.105. This security vulnerability, codenamed CVE-2023-5482, is due to insufficient data validation in the Universal Serial Bus (USB) implementation of the Chrome browser. By exploiting this vulnerability, a remote attacker can perform an out-of-bounds memory access, potentially leading to information disclosure, system crash, or even arbitrary code execution.

We'll start by breaking down the technical details behind this vulnerability, and then we'll provide you with sample code to demonstrate the exploit. Finally, we'll mention how you can protect your systems from this security issue and provide links to the official resources for reference.

Technical Details

The vulnerability, CVE-2023-5482, stems from the improper handling of USB descriptors by the Chrome browser. USB descriptors contain metadata about a USB device's capabilities and supported interfaces. In the vulnerable Google Chrome versions, insufficient validation of this descriptor data leads to an out-of-bounds memory access, which could be exploited by an attacker.

The following code snippet demonstrates an example of the exploit

async function trigger_vuln() {
  try {
    const device_filters = [{ vendorId: xBDA }];
    const devices = await navigator.usb.requestDevice({ filters: device_filters });

    await devices.open();
    const configurations = devices.configuration;
    const interfaces = configurations.interface;

    // Crafted interface descriptor that triggers the vulnerability
    const crafted_descriptor = new DataView(new ArrayBuffer(9));
    crafted_descriptor.setUint8(7, xff);
    crafted_descriptor.setUint8(8, xff);

    devices.transferIn(interfaces, crafted_descriptor);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error:", error);
  }
}

trigger_vuln();

In this sample code, we define a simple async function, trigger_vuln(), which requests a USB device using a specific vendor ID. Once the device is opened, it retrieves the device's configuration and interface descriptors. The exploit then creates a crafted descriptor with invalid metadata values that trigger the vulnerability. Finally, an transferIn() call is made, which performs the out-of-bounds memory access induced by the crafted descriptor.

Exploit Details

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by creating a malicious HTML page and enticing a user to visit it. Once the victim visits the page, the attacker can trigger the exploit code provided above, which will perform the out-of-bounds memory read. If successful, the attacker can potentially access sensitive information, crash the victim's browser, or achieve arbitrary code execution.

Original References

For more in-depth information about the CVE-2023-5482 vulnerability, we recommend visiting the following official sources:

1. Chromium Issues Tracker: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=2437259
2. Google Chrome Releases Blog: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html

Protecting Your System

To protect your system from this high-severity vulnerability, users are urged to update their Google Chrome installation to version 119..6045.105 or later. By updating to the latest version, you can ensure that you're protected against this specific vulnerability and various other security issues.

Conclusion

The CVE-2023-5482 vulnerability is a high-severity security issue that affects Google Chrome versions prior to 119..6045.105. To keep your system secure, updating to the latest version of the Chrome browser is essential. As always, it's important to remain vigilant about the potential for new vulnerabilities and keep your software updated to protect against security threats.

Timeline

Published on: 11/01/2023 18:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 11/14/2023 03:15:11 UTC