Recently, a heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2023-1220) was discovered in the User Metrics Analysis (UMA) component of Google Chrome prior to version 111..5563.64. This high-severity vulnerability has the potential to allow a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to carry out heap corruption using a maliciously crafted HTML page. In this blog post, we will provide an in-depth analysis of the vulnerability, discussing its possible exploit, original references, and necessary defensive measures.

Exploit Details

The UMA is a component that allows Chrome to collect various usage statistics, which in turn helps the development team to identify potential issues and improve overall user experience. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by triggering a heap buffer overflow in the UMA, leading to possible heap corruption. As a result, the attacker may be able to execute arbitrary code, gain unauthorized access, and manipulate sensitive information.

Here is a simple code snippet that can be used to demonstrate the vulnerability

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>CVE-2023-1220 Proof of Concept</title>
  <script>
    function triggerVulnerability() {
      // Crafted payload that triggers heap buffer overflow in Chrome UMA
      let maliciousData = /* ... */;

      // Function that collects UMA metrics
      chrome.send('sendUmaMetrics', [maliciousData]);
    }
  </script>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>CVE-2023-1220 - Heap Buffer Overflow in UMA</h1>
  <button onclick="triggerVulnerability()">Click to trigger vulnerability</button>
</body>
</html>

This crafted HTML page uses JavaScript to trigger the heap buffer overflow in Chrome's UMA component. When the user clicks on the button, the triggerVulnerability function is executed, which sends the malicious payload to the UMA metric collection function along with the chrome.send() API call.

Original References and Resources

For more information on the vulnerability, it is crucial to consult the following original references and resources:

1. Google Chrome Releases Blog: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/
2. Chromium Security Issue Details: https://crbug.com/1754282
3. Chromium Source Code: https://github.com/chromium/chromium

Defensive Measures

Google has already released a fix for this vulnerability in Chrome version 111..5563.64, and users should update their browsers immediately to stay protected. Along with updating Chrome, users should also ensure they are following best security practices, such as avoiding suspicious websites and links, keeping their operating systems updated, and using robust security software.

Conclusion

The heap buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2023-1220) is a high-severity security issue that affects Google Chrome prior to version 111..5563.64. By exploiting this vulnerability, a remote attacker with access to the renderer process can potentially trigger heap corruption using a specially crafted HTML page. To mitigate the risk posed by this vulnerability, users should immediately update their browsers to the latest version and follow best security practices.

Timeline

Published on: 03/07/2023 22:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 04/10/2023 20:15:00 UTC