CVE-2024-10826: Google Chrome Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2024-10826 Overview

CVE-2024-10826 is a Use After Free vulnerability affecting Google Chrome on Android devices. The flaw exists in the Family Experiences component and allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. This vulnerability was assigned a High severity rating by Chromium security.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this memory corruption vulnerability to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause browser crashes by tricking users into visiting malicious web pages.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome on Android prior to version 130.0.6723.116
• Google Android devices running vulnerable Chrome versions

Discovery Timeline

• November 6, 2024 - CVE-2024-10826 published to NVD
• January 2, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-10826

Vulnerability Analysis

This Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability occurs in the Family Experiences component of Google Chrome on Android. Use After Free vulnerabilities arise when a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior. In this case, the vulnerability enables heap corruption through crafted HTML content.

The attack requires user interaction—specifically, a victim must navigate to a malicious web page. Once triggered, the vulnerability allows an attacker to potentially corrupt heap memory, which could lead to arbitrary code execution within the browser's context or cause the application to crash.

Root Cause

The vulnerability stems from improper memory management in the Family Experiences feature of Google Chrome. When certain objects are freed but subsequently referenced by other parts of the code, the freed memory region may be reallocated for different purposes. Accessing this memory after reallocation can lead to heap corruption, enabling attackers to manipulate program execution flow or access sensitive data.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker would need to craft a malicious HTML page designed to trigger the Use After Free condition in the Family Experiences component. When a user on an Android device running a vulnerable version of Chrome navigates to or is redirected to this malicious page, the exploit is triggered.

The exploitation mechanism involves:

1. Attacker creates a specially crafted HTML page that manipulates objects in the Family Experiences component
2. Victim visits the malicious page using Chrome on Android
3. The crafted page triggers premature deallocation of memory while references still exist
4. Subsequent access to the freed memory causes heap corruption
5. Attacker potentially achieves code execution or information disclosure

For technical details on this vulnerability, refer to the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry and the Google Chrome Stable Update.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-10826

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Chrome browser crashes on Android devices, particularly when visiting unfamiliar websites
• Anomalous memory allocation patterns in Chrome processes
• Unusual network connections to suspicious domains hosting malicious HTML content
• Chrome renderer process instability or sandbox escape attempts

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome versions prior to 130.0.6723.116 on Android devices in your environment
• Implement network traffic analysis to detect connections to known malicious domains serving exploit code
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying Use After Free exploitation attempts
• Enable browser crash reporting to identify potential exploitation attempts

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure centralized logging for browser crash events across managed Android devices
• Implement network security monitoring to detect and block malicious web content
• Deploy SentinelOne agents on Android endpoints to monitor for suspicious browser behavior
• Regularly audit Chrome versions across your mobile device fleet to ensure timely updates

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-10826

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome on Android devices to version 130.0.6723.116 or later immediately
• Enable automatic updates for Chrome to ensure future security patches are applied promptly
• Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites
• Consider implementing web filtering to block access to known malicious domains

Patch Information

Google has released Chrome version 130.0.6723.116 which addresses this vulnerability. The fix is available through the Google Play Store for Android devices. Organizations should verify all managed Chrome instances are updated to this version or later. Refer to the Google Chrome Stable Update for official release notes.

Workarounds

• If immediate patching is not possible, consider using alternative browsers on Android until Chrome can be updated
• Implement strict web filtering policies to limit exposure to potentially malicious web content
• Enable Chrome's Safe Browsing feature to help protect against known malicious sites
• Restrict browsing to trusted domains only in high-security environments until the patch is applied

# Verify Chrome version on Android via ADB
adb shell dumpsys package com.android.chrome | grep versionName
# Expected output should show version 130.0.6723.116 or higher

# Check for available Chrome updates
adb shell am start -a android.intent.action.VIEW -d "market://details?id=com.android.chrome"