CVE-2024-12053: Google Chrome Type Confusion Vulnerability

CVE-2024-12053 Overview

CVE-2024-12053 is a type confusion vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript engine used by Google Chrome. Versions of Chrome prior to 131.0.6778.108 are affected. A remote attacker can trigger object corruption by serving a crafted HTML page to a target user. The flaw is classified under CWE-843: Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, typically a victim visiting an attacker-controlled web page. Chromium rates this issue as High severity, and the EPSS exploitation probability is currently 0.089%.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can corrupt V8 engine memory through a malicious HTML page, enabling potential code execution within the renderer process and compromise of browser confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 131.0.6778.108
• Chromium-based browsers integrating the vulnerable V8 build
• Desktop platforms shipping the affected Chrome stable channel

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-12-03 - CVE-2024-12053 published to NVD
• 2025-01-02 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-12053

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in V8, the JavaScript and WebAssembly engine that powers Chrome. Type confusion occurs when code allocates or accesses a resource using one type but later operates on it as if it were a different, incompatible type. In V8, this class of bug typically arises within the optimizing compiler or runtime type-tracking logic when assumptions about object shapes (hidden classes or maps) diverge from actual memory layout. Attackers leverage the mismatch to read or write outside the intended object boundaries, producing object corruption inside the renderer sandbox.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper type checking in V8 when handling JavaScript objects. When the engine treats a value as a type other than its actual runtime type, fields can be reinterpreted, leading to controlled memory corruption. The issue is tracked in Chromium Issue Report #379009132 and resolved in the V8 build shipped with Chrome 131.0.6778.108.

Attack Vector

Exploitation is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker hosts a crafted HTML page containing JavaScript designed to trigger the type confusion in V8. When a victim using a vulnerable Chrome build visits the page, the malicious script forces the engine into an inconsistent type state. The attacker then manipulates the corrupted object to construct arbitrary read and write primitives within the renderer process. Combined with a sandbox escape, such primitives have historically enabled remote code execution on the host. See the Google Chrome Stable Update advisory for the vendor description.

No public proof-of-concept or exploit code has been released for this CVE at the time of writing.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-12053

Indicators of Compromise

• Chrome renderer processes crashing with V8 access violations after visiting untrusted sites
• Unexpected child processes spawned by chrome.exe following web navigation
• Outbound connections from the browser to newly registered or low-reputation domains hosting heavy JavaScript payloads

Detection Strategies

• Inventory installed Chrome versions across the fleet and flag any build below 131.0.6778.108
• Monitor endpoint telemetry for renderer process crashes correlated with browsing activity
• Inspect web proxy and DNS logs for visits to suspicious pages serving obfuscated JavaScript targeting V8 internals

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable browser crash reporting and forward chrome_crashpad events to a central log store for correlation
• Track process lineage where chrome.exe or its renderer spawns shells, scripting hosts, or LOLBins
• Alert on anomalous file writes or persistence attempts originating from browser child processes

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-12053

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 131.0.6778.108 or later on all endpoints
• Restart browser sessions after the update to ensure the patched V8 build is loaded
• Apply equivalent fixes to other Chromium-based browsers that have inherited the vulnerable V8 code

Patch Information

Google addressed this vulnerability in the Chrome Stable channel update released on December 3, 2024, with version 131.0.6778.108 for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Details are documented in the Chrome Releases blog and the corresponding Chromium tracker entry.

Workarounds

• Enforce automatic Chrome updates through enterprise policy to minimize the patch window
• Restrict JavaScript execution on untrusted sites using site isolation and content filtering
• Use browser isolation or remote browsing for high-risk user groups until patching is verified

# Verify installed Chrome version on Linux/macOS endpoints
google-chrome --version

# Windows: query the installed version via registry
reg query "HKLM\Software\Google\Update\Clients\{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96}" /v pv

# Expected output: 131.0.6778.108 or higher