CVE-2017-15401 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
A memory corruption bug in WebAssembly could lead to out of bounds read and write through V8 in WebAssembly in Google Chrome prior to 62.0.3202.62 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/26/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-15401 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the WebAssembly implementation of Google Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. This issue affects Chrome versions prior to 62.0.3202.62 and demonstrates a fundamental weakness in how the browser handles WebAssembly memory operations. The vulnerability stems from inadequate bounds checking mechanisms that fail to properly validate memory access patterns within WebAssembly modules, creating potential entry points for malicious code execution. Such flaws are particularly dangerous because they occur within the browser's sandboxed environment where privilege escalation is typically prevented.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves a memory corruption bug that enables out of bounds read and write operations through V8's WebAssembly implementation. Attackers can craft malicious HTML pages that leverage this flaw to manipulate memory locations beyond the intended boundaries of WebAssembly memory segments. This allows for arbitrary code execution within the browser's sandboxed environment, bypassing traditional security controls that normally isolate web content from the underlying system. The flaw specifically affects how V8 handles memory management during WebAssembly module execution, where insufficient validation permits unauthorized memory access patterns that can be exploited to overwrite critical memory regions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for users of affected Chrome versions as it enables remote code execution without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that WebAssembly is increasingly used in modern web applications, making this vulnerability applicable to a broad range of legitimate websites that may unknowingly serve malicious content. The sandbox escape capability means that successful exploitation could potentially lead to full system compromise, as the malicious code would operate within the browser's privileged context with access to user data and system resources.
Security mitigations for CVE-2017-15401 primarily involve updating to Chrome version 62.0.3202.62 or later, which includes patches addressing the memory corruption issues in V8's WebAssembly implementation. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies to ensure all users are protected against this vulnerability. Additional defensive measures include deploying web application firewalls and content security policies that can help detect and block malicious WebAssembly content. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 and CWE-122 categories related to buffer overflow conditions and memory corruption, and maps to ATT&CK techniques involving sandbox escapes and privilege escalation through code injection. Regular security assessments of web applications and monitoring for suspicious WebAssembly content should also be implemented as part of comprehensive security hygiene practices.