CVE-2023-5472: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2023-5472 Overview

CVE-2023-5472 is a Use After Free vulnerability in the Profiles component of Google Chrome prior to version 118.0.5993.117. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability is classified as high severity by the Chromium security team and poses significant risk to users who visit malicious web pages.

Use After Free (UAF) vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been freed. In the context of browser security, this class of vulnerability is particularly dangerous as it can lead to arbitrary code execution within the browser process, potentially allowing attackers to escape the browser sandbox and compromise the underlying system.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can potentially achieve arbitrary code execution by exploiting heap corruption through specially crafted HTML pages, compromising user confidentiality, integrity, and system availability.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 118.0.5993.117
• Debian Linux 11.0 and 12.0
• Fedora 38

Discovery Timeline

• 2023-10-25 - CVE-2023-5472 published to NVD
• 2025-05-01 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2023-5472

Vulnerability Analysis

This Use After Free vulnerability exists within the Profiles component of Google Chrome. The Profiles feature in Chrome manages user-specific data including bookmarks, history, passwords, and settings. When profile-related objects are improperly managed during certain operations, memory that has already been freed may be accessed again, leading to heap corruption.

The vulnerability requires user interaction, specifically navigating to a malicious web page. Once triggered, an attacker can manipulate the freed memory region to achieve heap corruption, which can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code within the context of the Chrome renderer process. Given Chrome's multi-process architecture, successful exploitation could potentially lead to sandbox escape if combined with additional vulnerabilities.

The network-based attack vector with low complexity requirements makes this vulnerability particularly concerning for enterprise environments where users may inadvertently visit compromised websites.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2023-5472 is improper memory management in Chrome's Profiles component (CWE-416: Use After Free). The vulnerability arises when profile-related objects are deallocated but references to these objects remain in use. When the code subsequently attempts to access these dangling pointers, it operates on freed heap memory, creating an exploitable condition.

In browser implementations, UAF vulnerabilities commonly occur during complex state transitions, such as profile switching, tab management, or when JavaScript interacts with browser internals in unexpected ways. The specific trigger involves crafted HTML content that manipulates the timing or sequence of profile object lifecycle operations.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2023-5472 is network-based, requiring a victim to visit an attacker-controlled or compromised website hosting a malicious HTML page. The attack proceeds as follows:

1. The attacker crafts an HTML page designed to trigger specific profile-related operations in Chrome
2. When a victim navigates to the malicious page, the crafted content manipulates the browser's profile component
3. The manipulation causes a Use After Free condition, corrupting heap memory
4. The attacker can leverage this heap corruption to potentially execute arbitrary code

No special privileges are required on the target system, and the attack can be launched remotely against any Chrome user running a vulnerable version. The vulnerability affects the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the victim's system.

Detection Methods for CVE-2023-5472

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Chrome crashes or instability, particularly when loading specific web pages
• Anomalous Chrome renderer process behavior including unexpected memory access patterns
• Browser process spawning suspicious child processes or making unusual system calls
• Evidence of heap spray or memory corruption techniques in browser process memory

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome crash reports that indicate heap corruption or access violations in the Profiles component
• Implement network-level monitoring to detect traffic to known malicious domains hosting exploit code
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions that can identify browser exploitation attempts through behavioral analysis
• Review browser telemetry data for anomalous profile-related operations or timing patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting to capture exploitation attempts
• Configure endpoint protection to monitor Chrome process behavior for signs of memory corruption exploitation
• Implement web filtering to block access to domains known to host browser exploits
• Maintain centralized logging of browser events across the enterprise for forensic analysis

How to Mitigate CVE-2023-5472

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 118.0.5993.117 or later immediately across all systems
• Enable automatic updates for Chrome to ensure timely patching of future vulnerabilities
• For Debian systems, apply patches from Debian Security Advisory DSA-5536
• For Fedora 38 systems, apply the latest chromium package updates from the Fedora repositories

Patch Information

Google has released Chrome version 118.0.5993.117 which addresses this vulnerability. The patch was announced on October 24, 2023, via the Google Chrome Update Announcement. Additional details about the vulnerability can be found in Chromium Bug Report #1491296.

Linux distribution users should apply vendor-specific patches:

• Debian: DSA-5536
• Fedora: Updates available through standard package repositories
• Gentoo: GLSA 202401-34

Workarounds

• Restrict browsing to trusted websites until patches can be applied
• Consider using Chrome's Site Isolation feature to limit the impact of renderer process compromises
• Deploy browser security policies that restrict execution of JavaScript from untrusted sources
• Implement network-level filtering to block known malicious domains hosting browser exploits

# Verify Chrome version on Linux
google-chrome --version

# Update Chrome on Debian-based systems
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade chromium

# Update Chrome on Fedora
sudo dnf update chromium