CVE-2024-11112: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2024-11112 Overview

CVE-2024-11112 is a Use After Free vulnerability in the Media component of Google Chrome on Windows prior to version 131.0.6778.69. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Chromium has classified this vulnerability as Medium severity.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can exploit this Use After Free condition to achieve heap corruption, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or browser compromise when users visit malicious web pages.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome prior to version 131.0.6778.69 on Windows
• Microsoft Windows (as the affected platform)

Discovery Timeline

• November 12, 2024 - CVE-2024-11112 published to NVD
• January 2, 2025 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-11112

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), a type of memory corruption flaw that occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been freed. In the context of the Chrome Media component, improper memory management allows previously deallocated memory to be accessed, leading to heap corruption conditions.

The vulnerability requires user interaction—specifically, a victim must visit a maliciously crafted HTML page. Once triggered, the attacker can potentially manipulate the freed memory region to gain control over program execution or cause the browser to crash. The network-based attack vector means exploitation can occur remotely through typical web browsing activities, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where users regularly access external web content.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from improper memory lifecycle management within Chrome's Media handling code on Windows systems. When media resources are processed, the code fails to properly track memory allocation state, resulting in a condition where freed memory is subsequently referenced. This classic Use After Free pattern creates an exploitable window where an attacker can craft media content that manipulates the heap state between the free operation and the dangling pointer dereference.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker would need to:

1. Create a malicious HTML page containing specially crafted media content
2. Lure a victim to visit the attacker-controlled webpage
3. The crafted media content triggers the Use After Free condition in Chrome's Media component
4. Successful exploitation could lead to heap corruption, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution within the browser context

The vulnerability specifically affects Chrome on Windows, suggesting platform-specific code paths or memory management behaviors are involved in the exploitation chain.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-11112

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Chrome browser crashes when loading media-heavy web pages
• Crash dumps indicating heap corruption in Chrome's Media component
• Anomalous network traffic to suspicious domains serving crafted HTML/media content
• Chrome renderer process crashes with memory violation errors

Detection Strategies

• Monitor Chrome crash reports for patterns indicating heap corruption in Media-related components
• Deploy endpoint detection solutions to identify exploitation attempts targeting browser memory
• Implement network monitoring for suspicious HTML pages with unusual media element structures
• Use browser telemetry to track renderer process crashes and memory access violations

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's crash reporting to capture and analyze heap corruption events
• Deploy SentinelOne Singularity to detect exploitation attempts and post-exploitation behavior
• Monitor for unusual child process spawning from Chrome browser processes
• Track memory allocation patterns and anomalies in browser processes on Windows endpoints

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-11112

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 131.0.6778.69 or later immediately
• Enable automatic Chrome updates to ensure timely security patch deployment
• Consider restricting access to untrusted websites until patching is complete
• Deploy endpoint protection solutions capable of detecting browser exploitation attempts

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 131.0.6778.69 released on November 12, 2024. Organizations should prioritize updating all Chrome installations on Windows systems. For detailed release information, refer to the Google Chrome Stable Update announcement. Additional technical details may be available in the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Workarounds

• If immediate patching is not possible, consider temporarily using an alternative browser on Windows systems
• Implement web filtering to block access to known malicious domains
• Enable Chrome's Site Isolation feature to limit the impact of renderer process compromises
• Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites until the patch is applied

# Verify Chrome version on Windows
# Open Chrome and navigate to: chrome://settings/help
# Or check via command line:
reg query "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Chrome\BLBeacon" /v version

# Ensure version is 131.0.6778.69 or higher
# Force Chrome update check via settings or enterprise policy