CVE-2021-21144 – This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-21144?

CVE-2021-21144 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in Chrome's Tab Groups feature that could allow an attacker to exploit heap corruption. It affects users who install malicious Chrome extensions, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. All Chrome users prior to version 88.0.4324.146 are vulnerable.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in Chrome's Tab Groups feature that could allow an attacker to exploit heap corruption. It affects users who install malicious Chrome extensions, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. All Chrome users prior to version 88.0.4324.146 are vulnerable.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome

Versions: All versions prior to 88.0.4324.146

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only exploitable if user installs a malicious Chrome extension that triggers the Tab Groups 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...

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution with the privileges of the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise if Chrome runs with elevated privileges.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash or instability, with potential for limited code execution within the browser sandbox.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if Chrome is updated to patched version or if users only install trusted extensions from official sources.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires user interaction to install malicious extension, but extensions can be distributed via various online channels.

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Internal users would still need to install malicious extensions, which is less likely in controlled environments.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires convincing a user to install a malicious extension and triggering the Tab Groups feature.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 88.0.4324.146 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome. 2. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install version 88.0.4324.146 or later. 3. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Chrome Extensions

all

Temporarily disable all Chrome extensions to prevent exploitation via malicious extensions.

chrome://extensions/ then toggle off all extensions

Restrict Extension Installation

all

Configure Chrome policies to only allow extensions from the Chrome Web Store.

Configure ExtensionInstallSources policy to only allow https://chrome.google.com/webstore/*

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement application whitelisting to prevent installation of unauthorized Chrome extensions
Use browser isolation technologies to contain potential exploitation

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version by navigating to chrome://settings/help or opening Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome.

Check Version:

google-chrome --version (Linux) or navigate to chrome://version/

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify Chrome version is 88.0.4324.146 or higher in the About Google Chrome page.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports related to Tab Groups
Unexpected extension installation events

Network Indicators:

Downloads of Chrome extensions from non-Google sources

SIEM Query:

source="chrome" AND (event="crash" AND process="chrome" AND module="tab_groups") OR (event="extension_install" AND source!="chrome_web_store")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-21144

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: February 9, 2021

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1163845 Permissions Required
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7ACWYJ74Z3YN2XH4QMUEGNBC3VXX464L/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/AUQSMNV7INLDDSD3RKI5S5EAULX2QC7P/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202104-08 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1163845 Permissions Required
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7ACWYJ74Z3YN2XH4QMUEGNBC3VXX464L/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/AUQSMNV7INLDDSD3RKI5S5EAULX2QC7P/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202104-08 Third Party Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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