CVE-2023-4351 – This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrom... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2023-4351?

CVE-2023-4351 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's Network component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Attackers can trigger this by causing a browser shutdown, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. All users running vulnerable Chrome versions are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's Network component that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Attackers can trigger this by causing a browser shutdown, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. All users running vulnerable Chrome versions are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 116.0.5845.96

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

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard Chrome installations are vulnerable. Chromium-based browsers may also be affected depending on their patch status.

📦 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 with the privileges of the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise if combined with privilege escalation.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash (denial of service) or limited information disclosure from memory corruption.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if Chrome is updated to patched version or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Attackers can deliver exploit via malicious websites or ads without user interaction beyond visiting a page.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires user to visit malicious internal site or click malicious link, but internal users may have higher trust levels.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires crafted HTML page and browser shutdown trigger. No public exploit code available at time of analysis.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 116.0.5845.96 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/08/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_15.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 JavaScript

all

Prevents execution of malicious JavaScript that could trigger the vulnerability

chrome://settings/content/javascript → Block

Use Site Isolation

all

Enables site isolation to limit impact of potential exploitation

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

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browser until Chrome can be updated
Implement web filtering to block known malicious sites and suspicious HTML content

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: Open Chrome → Click three-dot menu → Help → About Google Chrome. If version is below 116.0.5845.96, you are vulnerable.

Check Version:

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

Verify Fix Applied:

After update, verify Chrome version is 116.0.5845.96 or higher using same method.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with memory corruption errors
Unexpected browser shutdown events

Network Indicators:

Requests to known malicious domains serving crafted HTML
Unusual network traffic patterns from Chrome processes

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="shutdown") AND process="chrome"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-4351

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: August 15, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/08/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_15.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1465833 Permissions Required
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2DMXHPRUGBUDNHZCZCIVMWAUIEXEGMGT/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/OCFEK63FUHFXZH5MSG6TNQOXMQWM4M5S/ Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5479 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/08/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_15.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1465833 Permissions Required
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2DMXHPRUGBUDNHZCZCIVMWAUIEXEGMGT/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/OCFEK63FUHFXZH5MSG6TNQOXMQWM4M5S/ Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5479 Third Party Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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