CVE-2024-2400: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2024-2400 Overview

CVE-2024-2400 is a use after free vulnerability in the Performance Manager component of Google Chrome prior to version 122.0.6261.128. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability is classified with high Chromium security severity, indicating significant potential for exploitation.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can potentially achieve arbitrary code execution or cause browser crashes by exploiting heap corruption through specially crafted malicious web pages.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 122.0.6261.128
• Fedora 38 (via Chromium packages)
• Fedora 39 (via Chromium packages)

Discovery Timeline

• March 13, 2024 - CVE-2024-2400 published to NVD
• December 19, 2024 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-2400

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability resides in the Performance Manager component of Google Chrome. A use after free (CWE-416) condition occurs when the browser improperly handles memory associated with performance monitoring operations. When memory is freed but the application retains a reference to that memory location, subsequent operations using the dangling pointer can lead to heap corruption.

The vulnerability is network-accessible, meaning exploitation can occur when a user visits a malicious webpage. User interaction is required—specifically, the victim must navigate to an attacker-controlled page containing the malicious HTML content. Once triggered, the heap corruption can lead to arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser process, potentially compromising user data, session information, and enabling further system access.

Root Cause

The root cause is a classic use after free condition (CWE-416) in the Performance Manager subsystem. This occurs when an object in memory is freed while other parts of the code still maintain references to it. When these dangling pointers are subsequently dereferenced, the application may read or write to memory that has been reallocated for other purposes, leading to heap corruption and unpredictable behavior.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network-based, requiring the victim to visit a specially crafted malicious HTML page. An attacker would need to:

1. Construct a malicious HTML page that triggers the vulnerable code path in Performance Manager
2. Lure the victim to visit the malicious page (via phishing, malvertising, or compromised legitimate sites)
3. Exploit the heap corruption to achieve code execution or other malicious outcomes

The vulnerability requires user interaction but no special privileges, making it suitable for widespread exploitation through drive-by download attacks or watering hole campaigns.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-2400

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Chrome browser crashes, particularly when visiting unknown or suspicious websites
• Chrome crash reports indicating heap corruption or memory access violations in Performance Manager components
• Unusual child process spawning from Chrome browser processes
• Detection of malicious HTML/JavaScript payloads in web traffic analysis

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome crash reports with signatures related to use after free or heap corruption
• Deploy network intrusion detection rules to identify known exploit patterns targeting this vulnerability
• Implement endpoint detection to monitor for abnormal Chrome process behavior or memory anomalies
• Review browser extension and plugin activity for suspicious code execution patterns

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's built-in crash reporting and review crash dump analysis for Performance Manager-related issues
• Implement web proxy logging to track visits to potentially malicious URLs
• Monitor endpoint telemetry for signs of browser exploitation attempts
• Establish baseline browser behavior metrics to detect anomalous activity

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-2400

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 122.0.6261.128 or later immediately
• Enable automatic Chrome updates to ensure timely patching of future vulnerabilities
• Apply Fedora security updates for affected Chromium packages on Fedora 38 and 39 systems
• Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites

Patch Information

Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability in the stable channel update for desktop published on March 12, 2024. Users should update to Chrome version 122.0.6261.128 or later. Fedora has also issued package announcements for Fedora 38 and 39 with patched Chromium packages.

For detailed patch information, refer to the Google Chrome Stable Channel Update and the Chromium Issue Tracker.

Workarounds

• If immediate patching is not possible, consider using an alternative browser temporarily
• Implement network-level filtering to block access to known malicious domains
• Enable browser isolation features where available to contain potential exploits
• Restrict access to untrusted websites through corporate web filtering policies

# Check and update Chrome version on Linux
google-chrome --version
# For Fedora systems, update Chromium via dnf
sudo dnf update chromium --refresh