CVE-2023-4353
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability is a heap buffer overflow in ANGLE (Almost Native Graphics Layer Engine) component of Google Chrome that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. It affects all users running vulnerable versions of Chrome, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability has high severity and requires user interaction by visiting a malicious webpage.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
- Chromium-based browsers
- Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
- Other ANGLE-dependent applications
📦 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 →Fedora by Fedoraproject
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution with the privileges of the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption that could be leveraged for sandbox escape or information disclosure.
If Mitigated
Browser crash with no further impact if sandboxing holds, or successful patch prevents exploitation entirely.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user to visit a malicious webpage. No public exploit code has been disclosed as of the advisory dates.
🛠️ 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 the three-dot menu → Help → About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install version 116.0.5845.96 or later. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable WebGL
allDisables ANGLE's primary use case, which may prevent exploitation but breaks WebGL content.
chrome://flags → Disable 'WebGL' → Relaunch
Use browser extensions to block scripts
allScript blocking extensions like NoScript can prevent malicious JavaScript from executing.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict browser usage to trusted websites only
- Implement network segmentation and web filtering to block malicious sites
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: If version is less than 116.0.5845.96, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
google-chrome --version (Linux) or chrome://version (all platforms)Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 116.0.5845.96 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with ANGLE-related stack traces
- Unexpected browser termination events
Network Indicators:
- Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit code
- Unusual outbound connections after visiting suspicious sites
SIEM Query:
source="chrome_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="termination") AND process="chrome" AND version<"116.0.5845.96"🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/08/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_15.html
- https://crbug.com/1458046
- 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/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5479
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/08/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_15.html
- https://crbug.com/1458046
- 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/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5479
