CVE-2018-6123 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
A use after free in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 67.0.3396.62 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6123 represents a critical use-after-free condition within the Blink rendering engine of Google Chrome, affecting versions prior to 67.0.3396.62. This flaw resides in the browser's core component responsible for processing and rendering web content, making it a prime target for remote code execution attacks. The issue stems from improper memory management where freed memory blocks are accessed after their intended lifecycle has ended, creating opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate heap memory structures.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the exploitation of memory corruption through carefully crafted HTML content that triggers specific conditions within Blink's memory allocation and deallocation routines. When a web page contains maliciously constructed elements, the rendering engine may attempt to access memory that has already been freed, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential privilege escalation. This particular flaw demonstrates the complexity of modern browser security where memory safety issues in rendering engines can be leveraged to achieve full system compromise. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, and represents a classic example of heap corruption that can be exploited through web-based attack vectors.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to users who browse the internet regularly, as it requires no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. Remote attackers can craft HTML pages that, when loaded in affected Chrome versions, trigger the memory corruption condition and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the browser process. The impact extends beyond simple browser compromise to potential full system exploitation, as successful exploitation could lead to complete control over the affected machine. The vulnerability's remote nature and the widespread use of Chrome make it particularly dangerous in real-world scenarios, where users may inadvertently encounter malicious content while browsing legitimate websites.
The remediation strategy for CVE-2018-6123 involves updating to Google Chrome version 67.0.3396.62 or later, which includes patches addressing the memory management issues within Blink's rendering engine. Organizations should prioritize this update as a critical security measure, implementing automated patch management systems to ensure all affected systems receive the necessary updates promptly. Security teams should also consider monitoring for exploitation attempts through network intrusion detection systems and web application firewalls that can identify suspicious HTML content patterns. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1059.003 for command and scripting interpreter and T1190 for exploitation of remote services indicates the need for comprehensive network security monitoring and endpoint protection measures to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. Additionally, browser hardening techniques such as sandboxing and memory protection mechanisms should be enabled to limit the potential impact should exploitation occur despite preventive measures.