CVE-2024-10827: Google Chrome Use-After-Free Vulnerability

CVE-2024-10827 Overview

CVE-2024-10827 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Serial API component of Google Chrome versions prior to 130.0.6723.116. This memory corruption flaw allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption through specially crafted HTML pages. The vulnerability occurs when the browser incorrectly handles memory operations in the Serial component, leading to a condition where freed memory is subsequently accessed.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit heap corruption through malicious web pages, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution within the browser context.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 130.0.6723.116

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-11-06 - CVE-2024-10827 published to NVD
• 2025-01-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-10827

Vulnerability Analysis

This use-after-free vulnerability exists within Chrome's Serial API implementation, which provides web applications the ability to communicate with serial devices. The flaw stems from improper memory management where an object is deallocated but a reference to that memory location continues to be used. When an attacker crafts a malicious HTML page that triggers specific sequences of Serial API operations, the browser may attempt to access memory that has already been freed.

The exploitation of this vulnerability can lead to heap corruption, which attackers may leverage to overwrite critical data structures in memory. Successful exploitation could result in arbitrary code execution within the browser's renderer process, potentially allowing attackers to escape the sandbox or compromise user data.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-10827 is improper lifecycle management of objects within Chrome's Serial API. When certain operations are performed in a specific order, the code fails to properly track whether an object has been freed before attempting to access it. This creates a temporal safety violation where a dangling pointer references deallocated heap memory.

Use-after-free vulnerabilities in browser components are particularly dangerous because attackers can often manipulate heap layouts through JavaScript, allowing them to control what data occupies the freed memory location when the dangling pointer is dereferenced.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring user interaction. An attacker must convince a victim to visit a maliciously crafted web page containing HTML and JavaScript designed to trigger the vulnerable code path in Chrome's Serial API. The attack does not require any special privileges or authentication.

The exploitation flow typically involves:

1. Victim navigates to attacker-controlled or compromised website
2. Malicious JavaScript triggers specific Serial API operations
3. The vulnerable code path causes a use-after-free condition
4. Attacker-controlled data occupies the freed memory region
5. Subsequent access to the freed memory leads to heap corruption

Technical details about the specific exploitation mechanism can be found in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-10827

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual browser crashes or instability when visiting specific websites
• Memory corruption errors or heap-related crash dumps in Chrome
• Suspicious Serial API access attempts from untrusted web origins
• Abnormal JavaScript execution patterns targeting hardware communication APIs

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome crash reports with heap corruption signatures in the Serial component
• Implement browser version tracking to identify unpatched Chrome installations across the environment
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify exploitation attempts targeting browser memory corruption
• Analyze web traffic for pages containing suspicious Serial API manipulation patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting to capture exploitation attempts
• Monitor endpoint telemetry for unusual Chrome process behavior or memory access violations
• Track browser version compliance across managed endpoints to ensure timely patching
• Implement web filtering to block known malicious domains serving browser exploits

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-10827

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 130.0.6723.116 or later immediately
• Enable automatic updates for Chrome across all managed endpoints
• Consider restricting Serial API access through Chrome enterprise policies if not required
• Review Chrome installation base to identify vulnerable versions requiring immediate attention

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 130.0.6723.116. The fix corrects the memory management issue in the Serial API to prevent the use-after-free condition. Organizations should deploy this update as a priority given the potential for remote code execution.

For detailed release information, refer to the Google Chrome Stable Update.

Workarounds

• Disable the Serial API via Chrome enterprise policy if serial device communication is not required
• Implement strict content security policies to limit JavaScript execution from untrusted sources
• Use browser isolation solutions to contain potential exploitation attempts
• Consider blocking access to untrusted websites until patching is complete

# Chrome enterprise policy to disable Serial API (Windows Registry)
# HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
# SerialAskForUrls: []
# SerialBlockedForUrls: ["*"]

# Linux Chrome policy location
# /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/serial_policy.json
# {"SerialBlockedForUrls": ["*"]}