CVE-2024-1284 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 02/07/2024
Use after free in Mojo in Google Chrome prior to 121.0.6167.160 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 • 03/01/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-1284 represents a critical use-after-free condition within the Mojo component of Google Chrome browsers. This flaw exists in versions prior to 121.0.6167.160 and constitutes a high-severity issue according to Chromium security guidelines. The vulnerability arises from improper memory management practices where freed memory locations are accessed after being deallocated, creating opportunities for malicious exploitation through carefully crafted web content.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability occurs within the Mojo framework which serves as a component for communication between different browser processes. When a web page contains maliciously constructed HTML elements that trigger specific memory operations within the Mojo subsystem, the system may attempt to access memory that has already been freed and potentially reallocated. This memory corruption can lead to unpredictable behavior and system instability. The flaw specifically manifests when the browser processes certain HTML constructs that cause improper handling of object references within the Mojo execution environment, allowing attackers to manipulate memory layout and potentially execute arbitrary code.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to user security as it enables remote code execution through web-based attacks. Attackers can craft malicious HTML pages that, when loaded in affected Chrome versions, trigger the memory corruption scenario. The exploitation chain typically involves loading a specially crafted webpage that causes the Mojo component to free memory structures and subsequently access them again through dangling pointers. This capability allows adversaries to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the browser process, potentially leading to full system compromise. The high severity classification indicates that successful exploitation can result in complete system takeover without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
Security professionals should immediately update to Chrome version 121.0.6167.160 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. Organizations should implement network-based protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems to block access to known malicious domains. Browser hardening measures including disabling unnecessary browser features and implementing strict content security policies can further reduce the attack surface. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-416 which specifically addresses use-after-free errors in memory management, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter while also potentially enabling T1566 for phishing attacks through malicious web content. Regular security assessments and penetration testing should be conducted to verify that the patch has been properly applied and that no residual vulnerabilities remain in the browser environment.