CVE-2024-8362 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/04/2024
Use after free in WebAudio 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-2024-8362 represents a critical use-after-free condition within the WebAudio component of Google Chrome browsers. This flaw exists in versions prior to 128.0.6613.119 and constitutes a high-severity issue according to Chromium security classifications. The vulnerability arises from improper memory management within the audio processing subsystem that handles WebAudio API operations, creating opportunities for remote code execution through malicious web content.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a specific memory access pattern where freed memory blocks are accessed after being deallocated from the heap. This occurs during WebAudio processing operations when JavaScript code interacts with audio contexts and nodes. The flaw manifests when the audio processing graph contains certain combinations of audio nodes that trigger memory deallocation followed by subsequent access to the same memory addresses. This use-after-free condition creates a predictable memory corruption scenario that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code on the target system.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to potentially achieve complete system compromise through crafted HTML pages delivered via web browsers. The attack vector requires no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or compromised websites. The heap corruption resulting from this flaw can be leveraged to overwrite critical memory structures, redirect program execution flow, or inject malicious payloads. Security researchers have identified that the vulnerability can be exploited to bypass modern memory protection mechanisms including address space layout randomization and data execution prevention.
The impact of this vulnerability extends across multiple attack surfaces within the browser environment, as WebAudio APIs are commonly used in modern web applications for multimedia processing. The flaw affects the core audio processing engine that handles audio node connections, buffer management, and real-time audio processing operations. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that manipulate audio contexts to trigger the specific memory access patterns that lead to heap corruption. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which describes the use-after-free error condition, and maps to attack techniques in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1566 for credential access through web-based attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-8362 primarily involve updating to Chrome version 128.0.6613.119 or later, which includes memory safety improvements and proper deallocation handling within the WebAudio component. System administrators should prioritize patch deployment across enterprise environments and monitor for exploitation attempts through web traffic analysis. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls, restricting access to audio processing APIs in restricted environments, and enabling browser security features such as sandboxing and strict content security policies. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of memory safety in browser components and highlights the need for continuous security auditing of multimedia processing subsystems in modern web browsers.