CVE-2023-4355 – This vulnerability allows remote attackers to e... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to exploit heap corruption in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine through out-of-bounds memory access. Attackers can execute arbitrary code by tricking users into visiting a malicious webpage. All Chrome users prior to version 116.0.5845.96 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers
Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based)
Brave
Opera

Versions: All versions prior to 116.0.5845.96

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

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default Chrome configurations are vulnerable. Chromium-based browsers using V8 engine versions before the fix are also 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment

🟠

Likely Case

Browser compromise allowing session hijacking, credential theft, and lateral movement within the network

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact with proper sandboxing and exploit mitigations, potentially just browser crash

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Attackers can exploit via malicious websites without user interaction beyond visiting the page

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires user to visit malicious internal site or click malicious link

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Proof-of-concept code is publicly available on Packet Storm. Exploitation requires bypassing Chrome's sandbox and other mitigations.

🛠️ 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 and click the three-dot menu
2. Go to 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 with the update

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Temporarily disable JavaScript execution in Chrome to prevent exploitation

chrome://settings/content/javascript
Toggle 'Allowed (recommended)' to 'Blocked'

Use Site Isolation

all

Enable site isolation to limit impact of successful exploitation

chrome://flags/#enable-site-per-process
Set to 'Enabled'

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browsers not based on Chromium/V8 engine
Implement network filtering to block known malicious domains and restrict web browsing

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version in About Google Chrome page. If version is below 116.0.5845.96, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' on Linux/macOS terminal

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 116.0.5845.96 or higher in About Google Chrome page.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with V8-related errors
Unexpected Chrome process termination
Suspicious JavaScript execution patterns

Network Indicators:

Requests to known exploit domains
Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes

SIEM Query:

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

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2023-4355

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: August 15, 2023

Last Updated: May 5, 2025

🔗 References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174950/Chrome-Dangling-FixedArray-Pointers-Memory-Corruption.html Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/08/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_15.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1468943 Permissions Required
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2DMXHPRUGBUDNHZCZCIVMWAUIEXEGMGT/ Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
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
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/174950/Chrome-Dangling-FixedArray-Pointers-Memory-Corruption.html Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/08/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_15.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1468943 Permissions Required
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2DMXHPRUGBUDNHZCZCIVMWAUIEXEGMGT/ Mailing List,Third Party Advisory
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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