CVE-2024-4949 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 05/16/2024
Use after free in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 125.0.6422.60 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/29/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-4949 represents a critical use-after-free condition within the V8 JavaScript engine component of Google Chrome. This flaw exists in versions prior to 125.0.6422.60 and constitutes a medium severity issue according to Chromium security guidelines. The vulnerability arises from improper memory management practices within the V8 engine's handling of JavaScript objects and their associated memory allocations. When a JavaScript object is freed from memory but references to it persist, subsequent access attempts can lead to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation by malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability occurs within the V8 engine's garbage collection and memory management mechanisms. Attackers can craft malicious HTML pages that trigger specific JavaScript code patterns which cause objects to be prematurely deallocated while still being referenced elsewhere in the execution flow. This memory corruption scenario creates opportunities for remote code execution through heap spraying techniques or by manipulating memory layout to achieve arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability specifically targets the V8 engine's object lifecycle management, where object references are not properly invalidated after deallocation, allowing attackers to reuse freed memory locations.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-4949 extends beyond simple memory corruption to encompass potential remote code execution capabilities. Attackers leveraging this vulnerability can execute arbitrary code on affected systems with the privileges of the Chrome browser process, potentially leading to full system compromise. The medium severity classification reflects the complexity required to exploit this vulnerability successfully, but the potential consequences remain significant given Chrome's widespread usage and the privileged execution context. This vulnerability affects all platforms where Chrome is deployed, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile operating systems, making it a substantial concern for enterprise security teams.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily involve immediate patching of Chrome installations to version 125.0.6422.60 or later. Organizations should implement robust update management policies to ensure rapid deployment of security patches across all affected systems. Additionally, browser hardening measures including sandboxing configurations, content security policies, and strict MIME type checking can provide additional defense-in-depth layers. From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with attack patterns documented in the attack technique matrix under techniques related to memory corruption exploits and privilege escalation. The vulnerability also corresponds to CWE-416 which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software development practices. Organizations should consider implementing web application firewalls and monitoring systems to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific memory corruption vector.