CVE-2024-5838 – This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in ... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-5838?

CVE-2024-5838 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows attackers to perform out-of-bounds memory access by tricking users into visiting malicious web pages. It affects all Chrome users on vulnerable versions and could lead to arbitrary code execution. The severity is high due to the potential for remote exploitation.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw in Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine that allows attackers to perform out-of-bounds memory access by tricking users into visiting malicious web pages. It affects all Chrome users on vulnerable versions and could lead to arbitrary code execution. The severity is high due to the potential for remote exploitation.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 126.0.6478.54

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All standard Chrome installations are vulnerable. Chromium-based browsers may also be affected if using vulnerable V8 versions.

📦 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 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

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

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Requires user to visit malicious internal site or compromised legitimate site

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Type confusion vulnerabilities in V8 have historically been exploited in the wild. This specific CVE has no public exploit code but similar vulnerabilities are frequently weaponized.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 126.0.6478.54 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/06/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.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 126.0.6478.54 or later. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable JavaScript

all

Prevents exploitation by disabling JavaScript execution in Chrome

Use Site Isolation

all

Enables site isolation to limit impact of memory corruption

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Use alternative browser until Chrome can be updated
Implement web filtering to block known malicious sites and restrict browsing

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version in Settings > About Chrome. If version is below 126.0.6478.54, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

google-chrome --version (Linux) or navigate to chrome://version in browser

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 126.0.6478.54 or higher in Settings > About Chrome

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports
Unexpected process termination
Memory access violation logs

Network Indicators:

Requests to known exploit domains
Unusual JavaScript execution patterns

SIEM Query:

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

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-5838

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-843

Published: June 11, 2024

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/06/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Third Party Advisory
https://issues.chromium.org/issues/342522151 Permissions Required
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7VXA32LXMNK3DSK3JBRLTBPFUH7LTODU/ Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MPU7AB53QQVNTBPGRMJRY5SXJNYWW3FX/ Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/06/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Third Party Advisory
https://issues.chromium.org/issues/342522151 Permissions Required
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/7VXA32LXMNK3DSK3JBRLTBPFUH7LTODU/ Third Party Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/MPU7AB53QQVNTBPGRMJRY5SXJNYWW3FX/ Third Party Advisory

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