CVE-2023-6704
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability is a use-after-free flaw in the libavif image decoder in Google Chrome. It allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption by tricking users into opening a maliciously crafted AVIF image file. All Chrome users prior to version 120.0.6099.109 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...
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 memory corruption leading to information disclosure.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is updated to patched version or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening malicious image) but no authentication. No public exploit code known at disclosure.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 120.0.6099.109 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.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 update. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable AVIF image rendering
allPrevent Chrome from processing AVIF images via enterprise policy or extension.
Not applicable via simple command - requires enterprise policy configuration
Use image blocking extension
allInstall browser extension to block all remote images or AVIF specifically.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user access to untrusted websites and email attachments
- Deploy web filtering to block known malicious image hosting domains
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: if earlier than 120.0.6099.109, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
chrome://version/ (in Chrome address bar) or 'google-chrome --version' (Linux terminal)Verify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 120.0.6099.109 or later after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports
- Memory access violation logs
- AVIF file processing errors
Network Indicators:
- Requests to unusual image hosting domains
- AVIF files from untrusted sources
SIEM Query:
source="chrome" AND (event="crash" OR event="memory_violation") AND process="chrome.exe"🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html
- https://crbug.com/1504792
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6NWZ23ZJ62XKWVNGHSIZQYILVJWH5BLI/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/12/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_12.html
- https://crbug.com/1504792
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6NWZ23ZJ62XKWVNGHSIZQYILVJWH5BLI/
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202401-34
