CVE-2023-0701
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in Chrome's WebUI that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption by convincing users to perform specific UI interactions. It affects all users running Google Chrome versions prior to 110.0.5481.77. Successful exploitation could lead to arbitrary code execution.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
- Chromium-based browsers
📦 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 with the privileges of the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise if combined with privilege escalation.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited information disclosure from memory corruption.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if users avoid suspicious UI interactions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction with specific UI elements, making it less reliable than fully remote exploits.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 110.0.5481.77 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome 2. Click menu (three dots) → Help → About Google Chrome 3. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allPrevents exploitation by disabling JavaScript execution in Chrome
chrome://settings/content/javascript → Block
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user access to untrusted websites
- Use application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized Chrome execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: If version is less than 110.0.5481.77, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
chrome://version/Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 110.0.5481.77 or higher.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports
- Unexpected Chrome process termination
- Memory access violation errors
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Chrome process
SIEM Query:
source="chrome" AND (event_type="crash" OR message="*buffer overflow*" OR message="*heap corruption*")🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1405123
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-17
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1405123
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-17
