CVE-2024-10231 - Type Confusion Vulnerability in V8 Engine of Google Chrome Versions Prior to 130..6723.69: Exploit Details, Code Snippets, and References
A recent security vulnerability, CVE-2024-10231, has been discovered in Google Chrome's V8 engine that could allow a remote attacker to exploit heap corruption by crafting a malicious HTML page. This vulnerability affects Google Chrome versions prior to 130..6723.69. The Chromium project has categorized the severity of this vulnerability as "High." In this blog post, I will dive into the details of this vulnerability, including the affected code, links to original references, and how an attacker might exploit this weakness.
Background: What is Type Confusion?
Type confusion occurs when a programming language or its runtime misinterprets the type of an object, typically resulting in unintended outcomes, such as crashes, memory leaks, and corruption. In the case of CVE-2024-10231, type confusion is exploited in Google Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, potentially resulting in heap corruption and opening the door for further exploitation by an attacker.
Vulnerability Details
The vulnerability can be traced back to V8's mishandling of certain JavaScript objects in memory. Specifically, a type confusion exists in V8's handling of JavaScript objects involved in "prototype pollution" attacks. An attacker can use the __proto__ (prototype) property to modify the inheritance relationship between objects in a way unintended by the application developer. This can lead to a type confusion when V8 later attempts to use an object it expects to be one type but is now another due to the attacker's manipulation. This type confusion could result in heap corruption, which could then be further exploited by an attacker.
Exploit Example Code Snippet
The following code illustrates a potential example of a maliciously crafted HTML page that might exploit this type confusion vulnerability:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<script>
// Malicious JS code that modifies the prototype chain
function evilFunction() {
const object1 = {};
const object2 = {};
// Manipulate the prototype chain to cause type confusion
Object.setPrototypeOf(object2, object1);
object1.__proto__ = Array.prototype;
object2.__proto__ = String.prototype;
}
</script>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Example of Malicious Page</h1>
<button onclick="evilFunction()">Click Me!</button>
</body>
</html>
This code snippet shows a crafted HTML page with a script that may exploit the type confusion vulnerability in the V8 engine when the user clicks the "Click Me!" button.
Original References
- The original security advisory from the Chromium project, detailing the vulnerability and affected versions of Google Chrome, can be found here: Chromium Security Advisory
- The commit in the Chromium project repository, which includes the security fix, can be found here: Chromium Commit
Mitigation
To protect against this vulnerability, users should update their Google Chrome browser to version 130..6723.69 or later. Developers should also consider monitoring their JavaScript code base for potential prototype manipulation that could lead to type confusion vulnerabilities.
Conclusion
The discovery of this type confusion vulnerability (CVE-2024-10231) in Google Chrome versions prior to 130..6723.69 serves as a reminder of the importance of keeping software up-to-date, as well as a reinforcement of the need for a comprehensive approach to web application security. By understanding the nature of this vulnerability and the dangers it poses, developers and users alike can take steps to protect themselves and their applications from potential exploitation.
Timeline
Published on: 10/22/2024 22:15:04 UTC
Last modified on: 10/25/2024 17:01:55 UTC