CVE-2021-4102 – This vulnerability is a use-after-free memory c... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2021-4102?

CVE-2021-4102 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a use-after-free memory corruption flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. It affects users running Google Chrome versions prior to 96.0.4664.110. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into visiting a malicious webpage.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a use-after-free memory corruption flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. It affects users running Google Chrome versions prior to 96.0.4664.110. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into visiting a malicious webpage.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 96.0.4664.110

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS

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 complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within browser sandbox.

🟢

If Mitigated

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

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Attackers can exploit via malicious websites without user interaction beyond visiting the page.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could be targeted via phishing or compromised internal sites.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: CONFIRMED

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

CISA has confirmed active exploitation in the wild. Exploit requires JavaScript execution in browser context.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 96.0.4664.110 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_13.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome. 2. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates. 3. Click 'Relaunch' when prompted to complete the update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Temporarily disable JavaScript execution in Chrome to prevent exploitation

chrome://settings/content/javascript > Block

Use Chrome sandboxing

all

Ensure Chrome is running with sandbox enabled (default on most systems)

chrome://sandbox/ to verify sandbox status

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Block access to untrusted websites using web filtering or proxy controls
Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized browser execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: chrome://version/ and verify version is below 96.0.4664.110

Check Version:

chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' on command line

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 96.0.4664.110 or higher via chrome://version/

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with V8-related errors
Unexpected browser process termination

Network Indicators:

Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit code
Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes

SIEM Query:

source="chrome" AND (event_type="crash" OR message="*V8*" OR message="*heap corruption*")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2021-4102

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-416

Published: February 11, 2022

Last Updated: October 24, 2025

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_13.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1278387 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2021/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_13.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1278387 Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2021-4102 US Government Resource

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2021-4102, you might also want to check these: