CVE-2023-0928 – This vulnerability allows remote attackers to p... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-0928?

CVE-2023-0928 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability allows remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause heap corruption by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page. It affects Google Chrome users running versions prior to 110.0.5481.177, specifically targeting the SwiftShader component used for graphics rendering.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause heap corruption by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page. It affects Google Chrome users running versions prior to 110.0.5481.177, specifically targeting the SwiftShader component used for graphics rendering.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 110.0.5481.177

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires SwiftShader to be enabled (typically used when hardware acceleration is unavailable or disabled).

📦 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 leading to full system compromise, data theft, or installation of persistent malware.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption that could be leveraged for information disclosure.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if Chrome is updated to patched version or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Attackers can host malicious pages on public websites accessible to any Chrome user.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Risk exists if internal users visit compromised internal sites or receive malicious links via email.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting malicious page) and depends on memory layout. No public exploit code is known.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 110.0.5481.177 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/02/stable-channel-desktop-update_22.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 with the patched version.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable SwiftShader

all

Force Chrome to use hardware acceleration instead of SwiftShader software renderer

chrome://flags/#disable-accelerated-2d-canvas
Set to 'Disabled'
Restart Chrome

Enable Site Isolation

all

Isolate websites into separate processes to limit impact of memory corruption

chrome://flags/#enable-site-per-process
Set to 'Enabled'
Restart Chrome

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Deploy web filtering to block known malicious sites and suspicious HTML content.
Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized Chrome execution in sensitive environments.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: If version is less than 110.0.5481.177, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

chrome://version/ (look for 'Google Chrome' version number)

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 110.0.5481.177 or higher after update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with SwiftShader-related modules
Unexpected Chrome process termination events

Network Indicators:

HTTP requests to domains hosting complex HTML/WebGL content followed by Chrome crashes

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_crash_reports" AND (module="swiftshader*" OR error="heap corruption")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-0928

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 22, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/02/stable-channel-desktop-update_22.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1309035 Permissions Required
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-17 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/02/stable-channel-desktop-update_22.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1309035 Permissions Required
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-17 Third Party Advisory

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