CVE-2023-5849
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes an integer overflow vulnerability in Chrome's USB component that could allow heap corruption. Attackers could exploit this via a malicious HTML page to potentially execute arbitrary code or crash the browser. All Chrome users on versions prior to 119.0.6045.105 are affected.
💻 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...
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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption leading to unstable browser behavior.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if USB device access is restricted.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires crafting specific HTML/JavaScript to trigger the integer overflow, but no public exploit code is available.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 119.0.6045.105 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_31.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 patched version.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable USB device access
allPrevent Chrome from accessing USB devices which may reduce attack surface
chrome://settings/content/usbDevices → Block sites from asking to connect to USB devices
Use browser sandboxing
allRun Chrome in sandboxed mode to limit potential damage from exploitation
Launch Chrome with --no-sandbox flag removed from startup
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict browsing to trusted websites only
- Implement network filtering to block malicious HTML content
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: If version is less than 119.0.6045.105, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Chrome: chrome://version/ or Command Line: google-chrome --versionVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 119.0.6045.105 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with USB-related stack traces
- Unexpected Chrome process termination events
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to known malicious domains serving exploit code
- Unusual outbound connections after visiting suspicious sites
SIEM Query:
source="chrome_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="process_termination") AND message="*USB*"🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_31.html
- https://crbug.com/1492384
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2MHLJRFWZNY6BFOW25Q4FEESVWZKS4C2/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EBA4KD5ZSV6XWWFLVR5UBYKKNOYMH33H/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PHWLT3M2AQDFD7RNAM3NJMYUC5KHMO5V/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202311-11
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202312-07
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5546
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_31.html
- https://crbug.com/1492384
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/2MHLJRFWZNY6BFOW25Q4FEESVWZKS4C2/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/EBA4KD5ZSV6XWWFLVR5UBYKKNOYMH33H/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PHWLT3M2AQDFD7RNAM3NJMYUC5KHMO5V/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202311-11
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202312-07
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
- https://www.debian.org/security/2023/dsa-5546
