CVE-2023-4356 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/15/2023
Use after free in Audio in Google Chrome prior to 116.0.5845.96 allowed a remote attacker who has convinced a user to engage in specific UI interaction to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/09/2023
This vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free condition in the audio subsystem of google chrome affecting versions prior to 116.0.5845.96. The flaw resides within the browser's handling of audio components and can be exploited through malicious html pages that trigger specific user interactions. The vulnerability is classified as medium severity by chromium security standards but carries significant risk due to its potential for heap corruption and remote code execution. The use-after-free condition occurs when memory allocated for audio processing is freed but subsequently accessed by malicious code, creating opportunities for memory corruption attacks.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the browser's audio processing pipeline where improper memory management allows attackers to manipulate audio objects that have already been deallocated. When a user interacts with a crafted html page containing malicious audio elements, the browser's audio subsystem executes code that triggers the use-after-free scenario. This particular flaw demonstrates a classic memory safety issue where object references persist beyond their valid lifetime, creating exploitable conditions in the heap memory management system. The vulnerability operates through the browser's javascript engine and audio api implementations, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote code execution capabilities for attackers who can convince users to visit malicious websites or interact with crafted content. The attack requires user interaction specifically involving UI engagement with audio elements, which makes it more difficult to exploit automatically but still poses significant risk in targeted campaigns. The heap corruption resulting from this vulnerability can lead to arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, or system compromise depending on the execution environment and attack vector. Security researchers have noted that such vulnerabilities are particularly concerning in browser environments where they can be leveraged to bypass security boundaries and access sensitive system resources.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with common attack patterns documented in the attack tree framework, where initial access through web-based delivery mechanisms can lead to full system compromise. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected chrome versions and implement additional security controls such as browser hardening, content security policies, and user education to mitigate risk. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of memory safety practices in modern web browsers and highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining secure audio processing components. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems, while also considering the broader implications of similar vulnerabilities in multimedia processing components across different browser vendors.