CVE-2023-3598 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 07/29/2023
Out of bounds read and write in ANGLE in Google Chrome prior to 114.0.5735.90 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/23/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2023-3598 represents a critical heap corruption issue within ANGLE, the DirectX Graphics Infrastructure implementation used by Google Chrome for graphics rendering on Windows platforms. This flaw manifests as both out-of-bounds read and write operations that can be triggered through maliciously crafted HTML content, creating a significant attack surface for remote code execution. The vulnerability affects Chrome versions prior to 114.0.5735.90 and has been classified with a high severity rating by the Chromium security team, indicating its potential for serious exploitation in real-world scenarios. The underlying issue stems from improper bounds checking in the graphics processing pipeline, where ANGLE fails to validate memory access boundaries when handling specific graphical operations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a remote attacker crafts an HTML page containing specially designed graphics commands that cause ANGLE to access memory locations beyond allocated buffers. This out-of-bounds memory access results in heap corruption, which can be leveraged to overwrite critical memory regions and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the browser process. The flaw specifically impacts the graphics subsystem's handling of vertex buffer operations and shader compilation processes where memory management becomes critical. Attackers can exploit this by诱导 users to visit malicious websites or by embedding the problematic HTML content in email attachments or other delivery mechanisms. The vulnerability's exploitation requires sophisticated techniques to achieve reliable code execution due to modern memory protection mechanisms, but the potential for privilege escalation remains significant.
The operational impact of CVE-2023-3598 extends beyond simple browser compromise, as successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise through privilege escalation attacks. This vulnerability affects millions of Chrome users globally, given the browser's widespread adoption across enterprise and consumer environments. Organizations running affected Chrome versions face increased risk of targeted attacks, particularly in environments where users may inadvertently visit malicious websites or receive phishing emails containing the exploit. The vulnerability's presence in ANGLE means that any application using Chrome's graphics rendering capabilities is potentially at risk, including web applications that heavily utilize WebGL or other graphics-intensive features. Security teams must prioritize patching this vulnerability across their environments, as it represents one of the more dangerous classes of browser vulnerabilities that can be exploited remotely without user interaction.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2023-3598 focus primarily on immediate patching of Chrome to version 114.0.5735.90 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the heap corruption issue. Organizations should implement comprehensive vulnerability management processes to ensure timely deployment of security updates across all affected systems. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious HTML content, enabling sandboxing features within Chrome, and restricting user access to potentially dangerous websites through content filtering solutions. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while security awareness training should emphasize the importance of avoiding untrusted websites and email attachments. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-129 and CWE-787 categories related to improper input validation and out-of-bounds writes, and its exploitation patterns correspond to techniques listed in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1059 and T1068 for execution and privilege escalation. Organizations should also consider implementing exploit prevention technologies such as address space layout randomization and data execution prevention to reduce the effectiveness of potential exploitation attempts.