CVE-2017-15407 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Out-of-bounds Write in the QUIC networking stack in Google Chrome prior to 63.0.3239.84 allowed a remote attacker to gain code execution via a malicious server.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/04/2023
The vulnerability CVE-2017-15407 represents a critical out-of-bounds write flaw within Google Chrome's implementation of the QUIC networking protocol. This issue affects Chrome versions prior to 63.0.3239.84 and stems from improper bounds checking during QUIC packet processing. The QUIC protocol, designed for low-latency communication over the internet, is implemented in Chrome as a transport layer that supports both TCP and UDP connections with features like connection migration and multiplexing. The flaw occurs when Chrome receives specially crafted QUIC packets from a malicious server, triggering memory corruption that can be exploited for remote code execution. This vulnerability falls under CWE-787, which specifically addresses out-of-bounds write conditions where an application writes data past the end of a buffer, potentially corrupting adjacent memory regions. The attack vector requires a remote server to send maliciously formatted QUIC packets, making this a server-side exploitation scenario rather than a client-side phishing attack. The technical implementation involves Chrome's QUIC stack failing to properly validate packet lengths and structure before processing them, leading to memory corruption when attempting to write data beyond allocated buffer boundaries. The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe as it allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems with the privileges of the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation could enable attackers to execute malicious code through the compromised browser environment. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic buffer overflow scenario where insufficient input validation leads to memory corruption, and the QUIC protocol's complexity adds additional attack surface due to its implementation details. The fix implemented by Google in version 63.0.3239.84 involved strengthening bounds checking mechanisms within the QUIC packet parser to prevent writes beyond allocated memory regions. Organizations should prioritize patching affected Chrome installations and consider implementing network segmentation to limit exposure to malicious QUIC servers. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper memory management in network protocol implementations and underscores the risks associated with complex networking stacks that handle untrusted data from external sources. This issue represents a significant concern for enterprise environments where Chrome is widely deployed and where attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access through compromised browser sessions. The remediation process requires careful testing of patch deployment to ensure compatibility with existing network infrastructure while addressing the memory corruption vulnerability that could enable privilege escalation attacks. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability and implement network-based detection measures to identify suspicious QUIC traffic patterns that might indicate attempted exploitation.