CVE-2023-3728
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability is a use-after-free memory corruption flaw in Chrome's WebRTC component that allows remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. It affects all users running vulnerable versions of Google Chrome and Chromium-based browsers. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into visiting a malicious webpage.
💻 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 full system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Browser crash/denial of service or limited code execution within browser sandbox.
If Mitigated
Browser crash only, with no data compromise if sandbox holds.
🎯 Exploit Status
Use-after-free vulnerabilities in browser engines are frequently exploited in the wild, though no public exploit is confirmed for this specific CVE.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 115.0.5790.98 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/07/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 apply updates. 3. Click 'Relaunch' when prompted to restart Chrome with the updated version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WebRTC
allDisable WebRTC functionality to prevent exploitation, but breaks video/audio calling features.
chrome://flags/#disable-webrtc (set to Enabled)
Restart Chrome
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Use alternative browsers without WebRTC until patching is possible.
- Implement network filtering to block known malicious domains and restrict browser usage to trusted sites only.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version via chrome://settings/help or 'About Google Chrome'. If version is below 115.0.5790.98, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
google-chrome --version (Linux), 'Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge' (Windows Edge), or chrome://version in browserVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 115.0.5790.98 or higher after update and restart.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with WebRTC-related modules
- Unexpected browser process termination
Network Indicators:
- Connections to suspicious domains followed by browser crashes
- Unusual WebRTC traffic patterns
SIEM Query:
source="chrome_crash_logs" AND (process="chrome" OR module="webrtc") AND event="crash"🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1457421
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PQKT7EGDD2P3L7S3NXEDDRCPK4NNZNWJ/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/1457421
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PQKT7EGDD2P3L7S3NXEDDRCPK4NNZNWJ/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
