CVE-2023-1213
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's SwiftShader component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers can trigger this vulnerability by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page. All users running vulnerable versions of Google Chrome are affected.
💻 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 leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption leading to information disclosure.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is updated to patched version or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Use-after-free vulnerabilities in browser components often lead to reliable exploitation, but no public exploits have been confirmed.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 111.0.5563.64 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome. 2. Click 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 SwiftShader
allDisable SwiftShader rendering to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability
chrome://flags/#disable-accelerated-2d-canvas
Set to 'Disabled'
Enable Site Isolation
allEnable site isolation to limit impact of potential exploitation
chrome://flags/#enable-site-per-process
Set to 'Enabled'
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Block access to untrusted websites using web filtering or proxy controls
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: If version is less than 111.0.5563.64, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' on command lineVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 111.0.5563.64 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports
- Unexpected process termination events
- Memory access violation logs
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="access violation")