A newly discovered vulnerability labeled as CVE-2025-0437 in Google Chrome before version 132..6834.83 allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption through a maliciously crafted HTML page. This vulnerability has been assigned a high severity rating by Chromium security.

The vulnerability occurs due to an out-of-bounds read in the metrics component in Google Chrome, which could be exploited by remote attackers to cause heap corruption and potentially execute arbitrary code. In this post, we'll delve deeper into the details of this vulnerability, explore the relevant code snippets, and provide links to original references.

Details

The vulnerability lies in the metrics component of Google Chrome and is a result of an out-of-bounds read that can cause heap corruption. Heap corruption is a serious security issue, as it often allows an attacker to execute arbitrary code in the context of the affected application.

An out-of-bounds read occurs when a program reads memory space that is outside of its data boundaries, resulting in undefined behavior that could be exploited by attackers to compromise the application and execute their code.

Exploit

The exploit for CVE-2025-0437 involves crafting a specially designed HTML page that triggers an out-of-bounds read in metrics when the page is loaded in Google Chrome. The malicious HTML page would need to be designed in such a way that it forces Google Chrome's internal metrics component to read memory from an area outside the intended memory boundaries, causing heap corruption and making the browser prone to further attack.

Below is a simplified code snippet that demonstrates how a potential exploit for this vulnerability could be crafted. Note that this sample code is for educational purposes only and should not be used for malicious intent.

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <script>
    function triggerOoBRead() {
      // Crafted JavaScript code to create an out-of-bound read condition in Google Chrome's metrics component
      // ...
    }
  </script>
</head>
<body onload="triggerOoBRead()">
  <!-- Specially crafted malicious HTML content -->
</body>
</html>

The attacker can host this crafted page on a malicious website or send it to the target via phishing emails, social engineering attacks, or other attack vectors. Once the victim visits the crafted page, it triggers the out-of-bounds read in metrics and causes heap corruption, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution.

Mitigation

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 132..6834.83. Users should promptly update their Chrome browsers to the latest version to protect themselves from this vulnerability.

References

1. Original Chromium Security Advisory
2. Google Chrome Release Blog
3. CVE-2025-0437 Details and Information

Conclusion

CVE-2025-0437 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Google Chrome versions prior to 132..6834.83, potentially allowing a remote attacker to exploit heap corruption via a specially crafted HTML page. It is crucial for users to update their Chrome browser to the latest version in order to mitigate the risks associated with this vulnerability.

Timeline

Published on: 01/15/2025 11:15:09 UTC
Last modified on: 01/16/2025 20:35:01 UTC