Security vulnerabilities are a fact of life in complex software systems, and web browsers like Google Chrome are no exception. Recently, a high-severity stack buffer overflow vulnerability was discovered in the Tracing component of Google Chrome. This vulnerable component is present in Chrome versions prior to 132..6834.83. An attacker exploiting this vulnerability can potentially corrupt the stack and exploit it remotely.

In this article, we will delve into the details of this vulnerability (CVE-2025-0438), providing code snippets, links to original references, and exploit details to help you understand this issue and protect your Chrome instances from potential attacks.

Vulnerability Details

The stack buffer overflow vulnerability occurs when a crafted HTML page is loaded by a user, which causes the stack corruption within the browser's Tracing component. Specifically, the issue exists within the tracing.mojom.QueueMessage method, part of the Chromium project that Google Chrome is built on.

Tracing.mojom.QueueMessage is predefined in the Chromium's tracing source code. In the vulnerable versions, a specially crafted message sent to this method causes an overflow in the stack buffer. This overflow allows an attacker to potentially exploit stack corruption, leading to a remote attack vulnerability.

Here is a simplified code snippet demonstrating the tracing.mojom.QueueMessage method

// In tracing.mojom
module tracing.mojom;
interface QueueMessage {
  void QueueMessage(string message) => (bool success);
};

The issue length occurs when the input message parameter length exceeds the intended buffer size.

Original References

The vulnerability was initially reported by a security researcher, and Google acknowledged and patched the issue in Chrome version 132..6834.83. You can find the original references to this vulnerability at the following links:

1. Google Chrome Release Blog Post: link
2. Chromium Bug Report: link
3. CVE Details: link

To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to do the following

1. Craft an HTML page containing malicious JavaScript code that interacts with the vulnerable tracing.mojom.QueueMessage method
2. Distribute this crafted HTML page to unsuspecting users, for example, by sending the malicious link through email, instant messages, or embedding it in a compromised website
3. The unsuspecting user with a vulnerable Chrome version loads the crafted HTML page and triggers the stacking buffer overflow vulnerability
4. The attacker gains control of the exploited stack corruption, enabling them to execute arbitrary code or perform other malicious actions on the victim's machine

Mitigation

To protect yourself from this vulnerability, you must update your Chrome browser to version 132..6834.83 or later. Google has provided a patch for the vulnerability in this version, which will protect your browser from potential remote attacks caused by the stack buffer overflow.

Click "Help" and then "About Google Chrome"

4. If an update is available, the browser will automatically download and install it. Restart your browser to complete the update process.

Conclusion

CVE-2025-0438 is a high-severity vulnerability in Google Chrome's Tracing component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit stack corruption by crafting an HTML page. It's crucial to keep your Chrome browser up-to-date to prevent any security threats related to this issue. Always exercise caution when clicking on links from unknown sources, and consider using security software to further protect your system from potential attacks.

Timeline

Published on: 01/15/2025 11:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 01/15/2025 15:15:14 UTC