CVE-2024-5157
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's scheduling component that allows remote code execution within the browser's sandbox. Attackers can exploit it by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page. All Chrome users on versions before 125.0.6422.76 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
Complete compromise of the browser sandbox leading to arbitrary code execution on the victim's system, potentially enabling malware installation, data theft, or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Remote code execution within the browser context allowing session hijacking, credential theft, or installation of browser-based malware.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to Chrome's sandboxing, but still potential for data exfiltration or limited system access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting malicious page) but no authentication. The vulnerability is in the wild according to Chrome's stable channel update.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 125.0.6422.76 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_21.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 with the fixed version
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allTemporarily disable JavaScript to prevent exploitation via malicious HTML pages
chrome://settings/content/javascript → Block
Use Browser Sandboxing
windowsRun Chrome in enhanced sandbox mode on supported platforms
chrome.exe --enable-features=RendererCodeIntegrity
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network filtering to block known malicious domains and suspicious HTML content
- Use application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution from browser processes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version in About Google Chrome page. If version is below 125.0.6422.76, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' on Linux/macOSVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 125.0.6422.76 or higher in About Google Chrome page.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with scheduling-related stack traces
- Unexpected Chrome child process terminations
- Browser extension or plugin loading failures
Network Indicators:
- Multiple connections to suspicious domains from Chrome processes
- Unusual outbound traffic patterns following HTML page visits
SIEM Query:
process_name:"chrome.exe" AND (event_id:1000 OR event_id:1001) AND description:"scheduling" OR process_name:"chrome.exe" AND network_connection AND dest_ip_category:"malicious"🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_21.html
- https://issues.chromium.org/issues/336012573
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/5KEVD4433KTOCYY6V4I7MMYKQ6URUS4L/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FX6IYZ6XF7B2WE66NFPNI2NHWJFI6VDF/
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_21.html
- https://issues.chromium.org/issues/336012573
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/5KEVD4433KTOCYY6V4I7MMYKQ6URUS4L/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/FX6IYZ6XF7B2WE66NFPNI2NHWJFI6VDF/
