A high-severity vulnerability, dubbed as CVE-2024-11395, has been discovered in the V8 JavaScript engine of Google Chrome, impacting versions prior to 131..6778.85. This type confusion bug can potentially allow a remote attacker to exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The Chromium security team classifies this vulnerability as a high-risk issue.

This article provides an in-depth analysis of the vulnerability, describing its impact, a code snippet for demonstration, original references, and details about the exploit.

V8 and Its Vulnerability

The V8 JavaScript engine is an integral part of Google Chrome, responsible for compiling and executing JavaScript code. Type confusion occurs when the V8 engine incorrectly interprets one data type as another, leading to potential heap corruption, and in certain cases, granting attackers a means to execute arbitrary code.

In this instance (CVE-2024-11395), an attacker could potentially exploit this type confusion flaw through a maliciously crafted HTML page. Upon a user visiting the page, the attacker may gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or control over the user's system.

Code Snippet

While the details of the actual exploit remain undisclosed, the following hypothetical code snippet demonstrates a potential scenario where type confusion may occur in the V8 engine:

class A {
    constructor() {
        this.type = "A";
    }
}

class B {
    constructor() {
        this.type = "B";
    }
}

function vulnerableFunction(arr) {
    // Type confusion happens here: 'A' object is used as an 'B' object
    let obj = new A();
    arr.forEach((value) => {
        if (value.type === "A") {
            obj = new B();
        }
    });

    return obj;
}

let arr = [{type: "A"}];
let result = vulnerableFunction(arr);
console.log(result.type); // Output: 'B', even though 'A' was expected

In this hypothetical example, visiting a malicious HTML page containing similar JavaScript code to the snippet could lead to heap corruption and potentially allow attackers to exploit this vulnerability.

Original References

The Chromium security team maintains an up-to-date repository and documentation of their work on this issue. For further information, refer to the following resources:

1. Chromium Security Tracker for CVE-2024-11395: https://crbug.com/1390646
2. Chromium's Security Severity Levels explanation: https://www.chromium.org/Home/chromium-security/security-severity-levels
3. Chrome Releases: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

Exploit Details

As of now, Google has not released any specific details about this exploit to prevent potential abuse. However, it is crucial to update Google Chrome to the latest version (131..6778.85 or newer) to protect yourself from this vulnerability. The update contains a patch that addresses this type confusion issue in the V8 engine. To update Google Chrome, follow these steps:

Conclusion

The CVE-2024-11395 vulnerability is a high-risk type confusion issue in the V8 engine that possibly allows remote attackers to exploit heap corruption using a crafted HTML page. It is crucial to stay up-to-date with security patches, particularly for software like web browsers. Always update your Google Chrome browser to the latest version to ensure you are protected from known vulnerabilities like this.

Timeline

Published on: 11/19/2024 20:15:29 UTC
Last modified on: 11/19/2024 21:56:45 UTC