CVE-2024-5841: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2024-5841 Overview

CVE-2024-5841 is a Use After Free vulnerability affecting the V8 JavaScript engine in Google Chrome versions prior to 126.0.6478.54. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption through a specially crafted HTML page. Successful exploitation could enable an attacker to execute arbitrary code, compromise data integrity, or cause denial of service conditions on affected systems.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can potentially achieve heap corruption and arbitrary code execution by luring victims to malicious web pages containing crafted HTML content targeting the V8 JavaScript engine.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 126.0.6478.54
• Fedora 39 (via Chromium packages)
• Fedora 40 (via Chromium packages)

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-06-11 - CVE-2024-5841 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-5841

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability (CWE-416: Use After Free) occurs in the V8 JavaScript engine, which is the core component responsible for executing JavaScript code in Google Chrome and Chromium-based browsers. Use After Free vulnerabilities arise when a program continues to use a memory reference after it has been freed, leading to undefined behavior.

In the context of V8, this type of flaw typically occurs during JavaScript object handling, garbage collection operations, or JIT (Just-In-Time) compilation processes. When an attacker crafts malicious JavaScript within an HTML page, they can trigger a condition where freed memory is accessed, potentially allowing them to corrupt heap structures or hijack control flow.

The vulnerability requires user interaction—specifically, a victim must navigate to a malicious web page. Once the crafted HTML content is loaded and parsed by Chrome, the V8 engine processes the embedded JavaScript, triggering the Use After Free condition. This can lead to heap corruption, which sophisticated attackers can leverage for arbitrary code execution within the browser's sandboxed renderer process.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2024-5841 is improper memory management within the V8 JavaScript engine. Specifically, the vulnerability stems from a scenario where a memory object is freed but a dangling pointer to that memory location persists and is subsequently dereferenced. This typically occurs due to:

• Incorrect reference counting or object lifetime tracking
• Race conditions in garbage collection routines
• Improper handling of JavaScript objects during optimization passes
• Edge cases in object property access or prototype chain traversal

The Chromium team classified this vulnerability with medium security severity, indicating that while exploitation is possible, certain mitigating factors such as browser sandboxing may limit the ultimate impact.

Attack Vector

The attack vector for CVE-2024-5841 is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker can exploit this vulnerability through the following scenario:

1. The attacker hosts a malicious web page containing specially crafted HTML and JavaScript
2. The victim is lured to visit the malicious page (via phishing, malvertising, or compromised legitimate sites)
3. The victim's Chrome browser loads and renders the page
4. The V8 engine processes the malicious JavaScript, triggering the Use After Free condition
5. Heap corruption occurs, potentially allowing the attacker to execute arbitrary code within the renderer process

The vulnerability can be exploited remotely over the network, requires no special privileges, and has a low attack complexity once the victim visits the malicious page. For detailed technical information, refer to the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-5841

Indicators of Compromise

• Unusual Chrome renderer process crashes or hangs when visiting specific websites
• Memory corruption errors or access violations in Chrome crash reports referencing V8 components
• Detection of known malicious URLs or domains serving exploit kits targeting browser vulnerabilities
• Anomalous JavaScript execution patterns in network traffic analysis

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome browser versions below 126.0.6478.54 across the enterprise environment
• Implement browser extension or EDR telemetry to detect unusual V8 engine behavior or renderer process anomalies
• Deploy network-based detection rules for known exploit patterns targeting V8 Use After Free vulnerabilities
• Enable crash reporting and analyze dumps for V8-related memory corruption signatures

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure centralized logging for browser crash events and correlate with security alerts
• Implement web content filtering to block access to known malicious domains serving browser exploits
• Monitor for mass browser crashes across endpoints which may indicate active exploitation attempts
• Review SentinelOne endpoint telemetry for suspicious child process spawning from Chrome renderer processes

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-5841

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 126.0.6478.54 or later immediately across all endpoints
• Enable automatic updates for Chrome to ensure timely application of future security patches
• Review and update Fedora systems using Chromium packages via the Fedora package manager
• Educate users about the risks of clicking links from untrusted sources

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 126.0.6478.54 released in June 2024. The fix resolves the improper memory handling in the V8 JavaScript engine that led to the Use After Free condition.

For official patch information, refer to:

• Google Chrome Update Announcement
• Fedora Package Announcement for Fedora 39
• Fedora Package Announcement for Fedora 40

SentinelOne Singularity platform provides protection against exploitation attempts through behavioral AI that detects memory corruption exploitation techniques and anomalous process behaviors.

Workarounds

• Restrict browsing to trusted websites using web filtering or proxy solutions until patches can be applied
• Consider using browser isolation technologies to contain potential exploitation within isolated containers
• Disable JavaScript execution for untrusted sites using browser security policies or extensions like NoScript
• Implement network segmentation to limit the blast radius of potential browser compromise

# Verify Chrome version on Linux/macOS
google-chrome --version
# Expected output: Google Chrome 126.0.6478.54 or higher

# Update Chrome on Fedora
sudo dnf update chromium

# Force Chrome update check (Windows)
# Navigate to chrome://settings/help to trigger update