CVE-2024-11395: Google Chrome V8 RCE Vulnerability

CVE-2024-11395 Overview

CVE-2024-11395 is a Type Confusion vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript engine used by Google Chrome prior to version 131.0.6778.85. This vulnerability allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability occurs within V8, Chrome's high-performance JavaScript and WebAssembly engine, which is a critical component responsible for executing JavaScript code in the browser.

Type confusion vulnerabilities in V8 are particularly dangerous as they can lead to memory corruption, potentially enabling attackers to execute arbitrary code within the context of the browser process. An attacker could exploit this flaw by convincing a user to visit a malicious website containing specially crafted HTML and JavaScript content.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can potentially achieve heap corruption and arbitrary code execution by luring victims to malicious web pages, compromising confidentiality, integrity, and availability of affected systems.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome prior to version 131.0.6778.85 on Windows
• Google Chrome prior to version 131.0.6778.85 on macOS
• Google Chrome prior to version 131.0.6778.85 on Linux

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-11-19 - CVE-2024-11395 published to NVD
• 2025-07-29 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-11395

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-843 (Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type, also known as Type Confusion). Type confusion occurs when a program allocates or initializes a resource such as a pointer, object, or variable using one type, but later accesses that resource using a different, incompatible type.

In the context of V8, the JavaScript engine performs aggressive optimizations including Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation to achieve high performance. These optimizations rely on type inference and speculative execution. When the engine incorrectly assumes the type of an object during optimization, it can lead to type confusion vulnerabilities.

The exploitation of this vulnerability requires user interaction—specifically, the victim must navigate to a malicious web page containing the crafted HTML payload. Once triggered, the type confusion can corrupt heap memory, potentially allowing an attacker to gain control over the execution flow of the browser process.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-11395 lies in improper type handling within the V8 JavaScript engine's optimization pipeline. V8 uses various optimization techniques to improve JavaScript execution performance, including inline caching and type speculation. When the engine makes incorrect assumptions about object types during these optimization phases, it can lead to type confusion conditions where memory is accessed using an incompatible type interpretation.

This specific vulnerability allows heap corruption through the type confusion, which could be leveraged to overwrite critical memory structures or redirect execution flow.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2024-11395 is network-based and requires user interaction. The attack flow typically involves:

1. An attacker crafts a malicious HTML page containing JavaScript code designed to trigger the type confusion in V8
2. The attacker hosts this page on a web server or injects it into a compromised legitimate website
3. The victim is lured to visit the malicious page through phishing, social engineering, or malvertising
4. Upon rendering the page, Chrome's V8 engine processes the malicious JavaScript
5. The crafted code triggers the type confusion vulnerability, corrupting heap memory
6. The attacker potentially gains arbitrary code execution within the browser's sandbox

The vulnerability mechanism exploits the way V8 handles type transitions during JavaScript object manipulation. Attackers typically craft JavaScript that manipulates object structures in ways that cause the engine's optimizer to make incorrect type assumptions, leading to subsequent memory corruption when those objects are accessed. For detailed technical information, refer to the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-11395

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual Chrome process crashes or unexpected browser terminations that may indicate exploitation attempts
• Memory corruption artifacts in Chrome crash dumps referencing V8 or JavaScript execution components
• Network traffic to suspicious domains hosting potential exploit pages
• Browser history or cached content containing obfuscated or suspicious JavaScript code

Detection Strategies

• Monitor endpoint detection systems for Chrome process anomalies including unexpected child process spawning or memory access violations
• Implement network-based detection for known malicious domains distributing V8 exploits
• Deploy browser extension policies that restrict JavaScript execution on untrusted sites
• Utilize SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect exploitation patterns targeting browser components

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting and monitor for V8-related crashes across the enterprise
• Configure SIEM systems to alert on multiple Chrome crashes from single endpoints which may indicate targeted exploitation
• Monitor for suspicious process behavior originating from Chrome processes that could indicate successful exploitation and sandbox escape

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-11395

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 131.0.6778.85 or later immediately across all managed endpoints
• Enable automatic updates for Chrome to ensure timely patching of future vulnerabilities
• Consider implementing browser isolation solutions for high-risk users until patching is complete
• Review and restrict access to untrusted websites through web filtering solutions

Patch Information

Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability. The fix is included in Chrome version 131.0.6778.85 and later releases. Organizations should prioritize updating Chrome installations across their environment. For detailed patch information, refer to the Google Chrome Desktop Update.

The update can be applied through:

• Chrome's built-in automatic update mechanism
• Enterprise deployment tools such as Google Admin Console, SCCM, or Intune
• Manual download from the official Chrome download page

Workarounds

• Enable Chrome's Site Isolation feature if not already enabled to limit the impact of potential exploitation
• Consider using browser extensions that block JavaScript execution on untrusted sites (with understanding of functionality impact)
• Implement network-level controls to block access to known malicious domains
• Deploy application whitelisting to prevent execution of malicious payloads if sandbox escape occurs

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

# Linux
google-chrome --version

# macOS
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version

# Ensure version is 131.0.6778.85 or higher