Critical vulnerabilities are a reality that all software developers face. As a user, you might assume that a widely-used and reputable browser like Google Chrome would be immune to these issues. However, this is not the case. In this post, we will examine a gap in Chrome's security - the CVE-2024-11113 vulnerability, which allowed remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. This vulnerability was present in Google Chrome versions before 131..6778.69. Since this is a medium severity vulnerability as categorized by Chromium Security, it is crucial for developers and users to understand its implications and patch their systems accordingly.

Details

The CVE-2024-11113 vulnerability is classified as a Use-After-Free (UAF) vulnerability in Accessibility in Google Chrome. A Use-After-Free vulnerability occurs when a piece of memory is freed but a reference to the memory still exists. An attacker could manipulate this reference to execute arbitrary code. A successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows a remote attacker, who has already compromised Google Chrome's renderer process, to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.

First observed in Google Chrome versions dated prior to the 131..6778.69 release, this vulnerability was assigned CVE number CVE-2024-11113.

Exploit Details

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to craft an HTML page, execute malicious code in Chrome's renderer process, and trigger heap corruption. Leveraging the corrupted heap, the attacker could execute arbitrary code on the victim's device, potentially leading to further malicious actions.

An example code snippet demonstrating the exploit

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <script>
    // Malicious code to trigger heap corruption
    function exploit() {
      ...
    }
  </-</script>
</head>
<body onload="exploit()">
  <!-- Crafted HTML page with Accessibility elements -->
  ...
</body>
</html>

When the target user opens this malicious HTML page, the exploit() function is automatically executed, triggering heap corruption and potentially allowing arbitrary code execution.

Mitigations

It is essential to update Google Chrome to the latest version (131..6778.69 or higher) to mitigate this vulnerability. To accomplish this, follow these steps:

Click on the three vertical dots in the top-right corner, and go to "Help" > "About Google Chrome."

3. An "About" page will appear, automatically checking for updates. Proceed to install the latest update.

For more information about this vulnerability, refer to the following sources

- Chromium Security Blog Post
- Official CVE-2024-11113 Details
- National Vulnerability Database (NVD) Summary

Conclusion

Users and developers should always be alert to the potential security vulnerabilities in the software they use. CVE-2024-11113 is an example of a medium severity vulnerability that could cause significant harm if not properly mitigated. By updating Google Chrome and applying best practices when browsing the internet, users can feel more secure as they navigate the digital realm.

Timeline

Published on: 11/12/2024 21:15:11 UTC
Last modified on: 01/02/2025 18:02:23 UTC