CVE-2024-7970 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/04/2024
Out of bounds write in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 128.0.6613.119 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 • 03/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-7970 represents a critical heap corruption issue within the V8 JavaScript engine used in Google Chrome browsers. This flaw exists in versions prior to 128.0.6613.119 and manifests as an out-of-bounds write condition that can be triggered through maliciously crafted HTML content. The vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues and specifically impacts the JavaScript engine's handling of memory allocation and access patterns. Attackers can leverage this weakness to execute arbitrary code on affected systems by simply visiting a compromised webpage, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or compromised websites.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in improper bounds checking within V8's memory management routines. When processing certain JavaScript objects or arrays, the engine fails to validate array indices against allocated memory boundaries, allowing malicious code to write data beyond the intended memory allocation. This type of flaw typically occurs in environments where dynamic memory allocation is heavily used, such as JavaScript engines that must handle complex object models and array operations. The out-of-bounds write creates opportunities for attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting critical data structures or injecting malicious code into the browser's memory space. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write, which specifically addresses situations where programs write data past the boundaries of allocated buffers.
The operational impact of CVE-2024-7970 extends beyond simple code execution, as it can lead to complete browser compromise and potential system infiltration. Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability without user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in zero-day attack scenarios. The heap corruption aspect means that attackers can manipulate the memory layout to achieve privilege escalation or bypass security mechanisms such as address space layout randomization. This vulnerability can be leveraged to bypass modern security mitigations including control flow integrity and stack canaries, as the memory corruption can be carefully crafted to maintain the integrity of these protections while still achieving the desired malicious outcome. The high severity classification by Chromium security team indicates that exploitation is likely to succeed and that the impact can be significant.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to 128.0.6613.119 or later, as this represents the first fixed version addressing the heap corruption issue. Organizations should implement automated update mechanisms to ensure rapid deployment of security patches across all endpoints. Network administrators should consider implementing web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains that may attempt to exploit this vulnerability. Browser hardening measures including enabling sandboxing, disabling unnecessary JavaScript features, and implementing content security policies can provide additional defense-in-depth layers. Security teams should monitor threat intelligence feeds for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability and prepare incident response procedures for potential exploitation attempts. The vulnerability's characteristics make it particularly suitable for exploitation through the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can use the compromised browser to execute malicious scripts and potentially pivot to other systems within the network.