CVE-2023-0941 – This is a critical use-after-free vulnerability... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-0941?

CVE-2023-0941 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's Prompts feature that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause browser crashes. All users of affected Chrome versions are vulnerable when visiting malicious websites.

📋 TL;DR

This is a critical use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's Prompts feature that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause browser crashes. All users of affected Chrome versions are vulnerable when visiting malicious websites.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: Versions prior to 110.0.5481.177

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

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default Chrome configurations are vulnerable. Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge, Brave, etc., may also be affected if using vulnerable Chromium versions.

📦 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 code execution within Chrome's sandbox.

🟢

If Mitigated

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

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Exploitation requires only visiting a malicious website, making internet-facing systems highly vulnerable.

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

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires crafting a malicious HTML page but no authentication. No public proof-of-concept has been disclosed as of analysis.

🛠️ 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 the three-dot menu → Help → About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Temporarily disable JavaScript to prevent exploitation via malicious scripts, though this breaks most websites.

chrome://settings/content/javascript → Block

Use Browser Sandboxing

linux

Run Chrome in a sandboxed environment to limit potential damage from exploitation.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict access to untrusted websites using web filtering or firewall rules.
Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version via chrome://settings/help or 'About Google Chrome'. If version is below 110.0.5481.177, it's vulnerable.

Check Version:

google-chrome --version (Linux), or check via chrome://version

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 110.0.5481.177 or higher after update.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports
Unexpected process termination logs
Security event logs showing exploit attempts

Network Indicators:

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

SIEM Query:

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

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-0941

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/1415366 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/1415366 Permissions Required
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-17 Third Party Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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