CVE-2019-13728 – This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write in... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2019-13728?

CVE-2019-13728 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write in Chrome's JavaScript engine that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. All users of affected Chrome versions are at risk when visiting malicious websites.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is an out-of-bounds write in Chrome's JavaScript engine that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. All users of affected Chrome versions are at risk when visiting malicious websites.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 79.0.3945.79

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, Chrome OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard Chrome installations are vulnerable. Extensions or security settings don't mitigate this vulnerability.

📦 What is this software?

Chrome by Google

Google Chrome is the world's most popular web browser, used by over 3 billion users globally across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms. As a Chromium-based browser developed by Google, Chrome dominates the browser market with approximately 65% market share, making it a critical compon...

Learn more about Chrome →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to full system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash/denial of service or limited code execution in sandboxed browser context

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Exploitable via visiting malicious websites without user interaction

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires user to visit malicious internal page or compromised internal site

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploit requires JavaScript execution but no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious page. Bug report includes technical details that could aid exploitation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 79.0.3945.79 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2019/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome. 2. Chrome will automatically check for and apply update. 3. Click 'Relaunch' when prompted. 4. Verify version is 79.0.3945.79 or higher.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Prevents exploitation by blocking JavaScript execution

Use Chrome sandboxing

all

Ensure Chrome sandbox is enabled to limit impact

chrome://flags/#enable-site-per-process (ensure enabled)

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browser until patching possible
Implement web filtering to block known malicious sites

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version in menu > Help > About Google Chrome

Check Version:

google-chrome --version (Linux) or chrome://version (all platforms)

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm version is 79.0.3945.79 or higher in About Google Chrome

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports
Unexpected browser termination
Security event logs showing exploit patterns

Network Indicators:

Requests to known exploit domains
Unusual JavaScript execution patterns

SIEM Query:

source="chrome" AND (event_type="crash" OR message="*out_of_bounds*" OR message="*heap_corruption*")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2019-13728

CVSS v3 Score: 8.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

Published: December 10, 2019

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00032.html Broken Link
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00036.html Broken Link
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:4238 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2019/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1024758 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2Z5M4FPUMDNX2LDPHJKN5ZV5GIS2AKNU/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/N5CIQCVS6E3ULJCNU7YJXJPO2BLQZDTK/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/27 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-08 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4606 Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00032.html Broken Link
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2019-12/msg00036.html Broken Link
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2019:4238 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2019/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1024758 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2Z5M4FPUMDNX2LDPHJKN5ZV5GIS2AKNU/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/N5CIQCVS6E3ULJCNU7YJXJPO2BLQZDTK/
https://seclists.org/bugtraq/2020/Jan/27 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202003-08 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2020/dsa-4606 Third Party Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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