CVE-2023-1810 – This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-1810?

CVE-2023-1810 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in Google Chrome's Visuals component that allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. It affects all users running Chrome versions prior to 112.0.5615.49, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or browser crashes.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in Google Chrome's Visuals component that allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. It affects all users running Chrome versions prior to 112.0.5615.49, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or browser crashes.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 112.0.5615.49

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

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard Chrome installations are vulnerable unless patched. Other Chromium-based browsers may also be affected if they haven't backported the fix.

📦 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

Full remote code execution with the privileges of the Chrome process, potentially leading to system compromise, data theft, or malware installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within the sandboxed renderer process, though sandbox escape could lead to broader system impact.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls like web filtering or endpoint protection.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires compromising the renderer process first, which may involve chaining with another vulnerability. The heap corruption could then be leveraged for further exploitation.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 112.0.5615.49 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/04/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome. 2. Click the three-dot menu → Help → About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install version 112.0.5615.49 or later. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome and apply the update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Temporarily disable JavaScript in Chrome settings to prevent exploitation via crafted HTML pages, though this will break most websites.

Use Chrome Enterprise policies

all

Configure Chrome via Group Policy or management tools to auto-update and restrict risky sites.

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Switch to an alternative browser that is not affected by this vulnerability until Chrome can be updated.
Implement network-level controls to block access to untrusted websites and monitor for exploit attempts.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Open Chrome, go to chrome://version, and check if the version is earlier than 112.0.5615.49.

Check Version:

On Linux/macOS: google-chrome --version; On Windows: Check via chrome://version or Control Panel.

Verify Fix Applied:

After updating, verify the Chrome version is 112.0.5615.49 or later via chrome://version.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports or error logs indicating heap corruption or buffer overflow in the renderer process.
Unexpected Chrome process terminations or sandbox violations in system logs.

Network Indicators:

Unusual traffic to/from Chrome processes, especially if associated with known exploit patterns or suspicious domains.

SIEM Query:

Example: (process_name="chrome.exe" AND event_id=1000) OR (process_name="chrome" AND signal=SIGSEGV)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-1810

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-787

Published: April 4, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/04/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1414018 Issue Tracking,Permissions Required,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FG3CRADL7IL5IHK4NCHG4LAYLKHFXETX/ Mailing List
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HO3QZY4UQFP4XNF43ILMVVOABMB7KAQ5/ Mailing List
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-17 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5386 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/04/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1414018 Issue Tracking,Permissions Required,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FG3CRADL7IL5IHK4NCHG4LAYLKHFXETX/ Mailing List
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/HO3QZY4UQFP4XNF43ILMVVOABMB7KAQ5/ Mailing List
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202309-17 Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5386 Third Party Advisory

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