CVE-2023-1217: Google Chrome Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

CVE-2023-1217 Overview

CVE-2023-1217 is a stack buffer overflow vulnerability in the Crash reporting component of Google Chrome on Windows. This vulnerability exists in versions prior to 111.0.5563.64 and allows a remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to obtain potentially sensitive information from process memory via a crafted HTML page.

Critical Impact

An attacker with renderer process compromise can leverage this stack buffer overflow to read sensitive data from process memory, potentially exposing credentials, session tokens, or other confidential information.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 111.0.5563.64
• Microsoft Windows (platform dependency)
• Chromium-based browsers on Windows

Discovery Timeline

• 2023-03-07 - CVE-2023-1217 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-1217

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write), manifesting as a stack buffer overflow in Google Chrome's Crash reporting functionality. The flaw specifically affects the Windows platform and requires prior compromise of the renderer process as a prerequisite for exploitation.

The attack requires user interaction—a victim must navigate to a malicious webpage containing crafted HTML content. Once triggered, the vulnerability enables information disclosure from process memory, potentially revealing sensitive data that could facilitate further attacks or compromise user privacy.

The vulnerability is notable because it exists within Chrome's crash reporting subsystem, which is designed to handle error conditions. By exploiting this component, an attacker can extract memory contents that may include authentication tokens, encryption keys, or other sensitive runtime data.

Root Cause

The root cause is a stack buffer overflow condition in the Crash reporting component. When processing certain input during crash report generation, the component fails to properly validate buffer boundaries, allowing data to be written beyond the allocated stack buffer. This out-of-bounds write condition can be manipulated to read adjacent memory regions, leading to information disclosure.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires the following conditions:

1. Prior Renderer Compromise: The attacker must first compromise the Chrome renderer process through a separate vulnerability or technique
2. User Interaction: The victim must visit a malicious webpage containing specially crafted HTML
3. Platform Specificity: The target must be running Google Chrome on Microsoft Windows

Once these conditions are met, the crafted HTML page triggers the stack buffer overflow in the Crash reporting component, allowing the attacker to extract potentially sensitive information from the process memory space.

The vulnerability can be triggered through a specially crafted HTML page that causes the Crash reporting component to overflow a stack buffer. Technical details are available in the Chromium Bug Report #1412658 and the Google Chrome Desktop Update announcement.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-1217

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual memory access patterns in Chrome's crash reporting processes
• Chrome crash reports being generated during suspicious browsing activity
• Evidence of renderer process compromise preceding crash reporting anomalies

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Google Chrome versions below 111.0.5563.64 across enterprise endpoints
• Implement endpoint detection rules for anomalous Chrome process behavior on Windows systems
• Enable memory protection features and monitor for stack-based memory violations in browser processes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity agents configured to monitor Chrome process memory operations
• Configure alerts for multiple crash report generations from the same Chrome process
• Review browser crash logs for unusual patterns or frequency that may indicate exploitation attempts

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-1217

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 111.0.5563.64 or later immediately
• Enable automatic Chrome updates to ensure timely patching of future vulnerabilities
• Audit all Windows endpoints for vulnerable Chrome versions
• Consider restricting browser access to untrusted sites until patching is complete

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 111.0.5563.64. The patch was released as part of the stable channel update for desktop. Organizations should update to the latest version to remediate this vulnerability.

For detailed patch information, refer to the Google Chrome Stable Channel Update for Desktop.

Workarounds

• Restrict access to untrusted websites until Chrome can be updated
• Implement network-level filtering to block known malicious domains
• Enable Chrome's Site Isolation feature for additional process separation
• Consider using application whitelisting to prevent execution of malicious scripts

# Verify Chrome version on Windows via PowerShell
(Get-Item "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe").VersionInfo.ProductVersion

# Force Chrome update via registry (enterprise environments)
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Update" /v "UpdateDefault" /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f