CVE-2023-3079 – This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-3079?

CVE-2023-3079 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows a remote attacker to trigger heap corruption by tricking the engine into misinterpreting data types. Attackers can exploit this via a malicious HTML page to potentially execute arbitrary code or escape sandbox protections. All users of affected Chrome versions are at risk when visiting untrusted websites.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows a remote attacker to trigger heap corruption by tricking the engine into misinterpreting data types. Attackers can exploit this via a malicious HTML page to potentially execute arbitrary code or escape sandbox protections. All users of affected Chrome versions are at risk when visiting untrusted websites.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 114.0.5735.110

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

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard Chrome installations are vulnerable. Embedded Chromium instances may also be affected.

📦 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 →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Macos by Apple

macOS is Apple's desktop and laptop operating system powering Mac computers used by millions of professionals, developers, creative professionals, and enterprise users worldwide. Built on a Unix foundation with the Darwin kernel and modern Cocoa frameworks, macOS delivers a seamless ecosystem integr...

Learn more about Macos →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Full remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, and persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser compromise allowing session hijacking, credential theft, and installation of malware through drive-by attacks.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact due to Chrome's sandbox, potentially only browser process compromise without system-level access.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Proof-of-concept code is publicly available. The vulnerability requires user interaction (visiting malicious page) but no authentication.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 114.0.5735.110 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/06/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome. 2. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates. 3. Click 'Relaunch' when prompted to restart Chrome with the updated version.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Temporarily disable JavaScript execution in Chrome to prevent exploitation

chrome://settings/content/javascript > Block

Use Site Isolation

all

Enable site isolation to limit impact of potential exploitation

chrome://flags/#site-isolation-trial-opt-out > Disabled

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browsers until Chrome can be updated
Implement network filtering to block known malicious domains hosting exploit code

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version via chrome://version and compare to affected versions

Check Version:

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

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 114.0.5735.110 or higher

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with V8-related errors
Unexpected Chrome process termination

Network Indicators:

Requests to known exploit hosting domains
Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes

SIEM Query:

source="chrome" AND (event_type="crash" OR message="V8")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-3079

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-843

Published: June 5, 2023

Last Updated: October 24, 2025

🔗 References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176211/Chrome-V8-Type-Confusion.html Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176212/Chrome-V8-Type-Confusion-New-Sandbox-Escape.html Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/06/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1450481 Exploit,Issue Tracking
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DYTXO5E3FI3I2ETDP3HF4SHYYTFMKMIC/ Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/U4OXTNIZY4JYHJT7CVLPAJQILI6BISVM/ Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202311-11 Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34 Third Party Advisory
https://www.couchbase.com/alerts/ Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5420 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176211/Chrome-V8-Type-Confusion.html Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/176212/Chrome-V8-Type-Confusion-New-Sandbox-Escape.html Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/06/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1450481 Exploit,Issue Tracking
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/DYTXO5E3FI3I2ETDP3HF4SHYYTFMKMIC/ Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/U4OXTNIZY4JYHJT7CVLPAJQILI6BISVM/ Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202311-11 Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34 Third Party Advisory
https://www.couchbase.com/alerts/ Third Party Advisory
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5420 Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2023-3079 US Government Resource

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