CVE-2024-6775: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2024-6775 Overview

CVE-2024-6775 is a Use After Free vulnerability in the Media Stream component of Google Chrome prior to version 126.0.6478.182. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker who convinces a user to engage in specific UI gestures to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Chromium has rated the security severity of this vulnerability as High.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation could allow remote attackers to achieve heap corruption, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution, data theft, or system compromise through malicious web content.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 126.0.6478.182

Discovery Timeline

• 2024-07-16 - CVE-2024-6775 published to NVD
• 2024-12-26 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-6775

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), a memory corruption vulnerability that occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been freed. In the context of Google Chrome's Media Stream component, this flaw manifests when handling specific user interface interactions.

The Media Stream API in Chrome is responsible for managing audio and video streams from devices like microphones and cameras. When improperly handled memory references persist after deallocation during certain UI gesture sequences, attackers can manipulate the freed memory region to corrupt heap structures. This can lead to arbitrary code execution within the browser's context.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper lifecycle management of memory objects within Chrome's Media Stream implementation. When specific UI gestures trigger a particular sequence of operations, the code fails to properly invalidate references to freed memory, leaving dangling pointers that can be exploited.

Attack Vector

This vulnerability requires user interaction to exploit. An attacker must craft a malicious HTML page and convince a victim to visit it while performing specific UI gestures. The attack is delivered over the network, requiring no authentication or special privileges beyond user interaction.

The exploitation flow involves:

1. Victim navigates to attacker-controlled web page
2. Malicious JavaScript initiates Media Stream operations
3. Specific UI gestures trigger the vulnerable code path
4. Freed memory is accessed, causing heap corruption
5. Attacker achieves code execution or causes a crash

The vulnerability mechanism centers on improper memory management in Chrome's Media Stream handling. When certain UI gesture sequences occur during Media Stream operations, memory objects may be freed prematurely while references to them still exist. Subsequent operations then access this freed memory, leading to heap corruption. For detailed technical analysis, see the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry and the Google Chrome Update Announcement.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-6775

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected browser crashes or instability when visiting untrusted websites
• Anomalous memory allocation patterns in Chrome processes
• Suspicious JavaScript execution related to Media Stream API calls
• Unusual network traffic to unknown domains coinciding with media permission requests

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome versions below 126.0.6478.182 across the enterprise
• Implement browser extension monitoring to detect malicious script behavior targeting Media Stream APIs
• Deploy endpoint detection rules for heap corruption indicators in browser processes
• Utilize Content Security Policy (CSP) violations as potential attack indicators

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome crash reporting and analyze crash dumps for exploitation patterns
• Monitor web proxy logs for access to known malicious domains hosting exploit code
• Implement browser-based telemetry to track abnormal Media Stream API usage
• Review JavaScript execution logs for suspicious patterns involving media device access

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-6775

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 126.0.6478.182 or later immediately
• Enable automatic browser updates to receive future security patches
• Educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites
• Consider restricting media device permissions in enterprise environments
• Implement browser isolation for high-risk users or sensitive operations

Patch Information

Google has addressed this vulnerability in Chrome version 126.0.6478.182. The fix is included in the stable channel update for desktop platforms. Organizations should prioritize deploying this update across all managed Chrome installations. For more details, see the Google Chrome Update Announcement.

Workarounds

• Disable or restrict Media Stream API access via Chrome enterprise policies where feasible
• Implement strict Content Security Policy headers on internal web applications
• Use browser isolation technologies to contain potential exploitation attempts
• Block access to untrusted websites through web filtering solutions

# Chrome Enterprise Policy Configuration Example
# Disable media stream access for untrusted origins
# Add to Chrome policy configuration

# Linux: /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/media_policy.json
{
  "VideoCaptureAllowed": false,
  "AudioCaptureAllowed": false,
  "VideoCaptureAllowedUrls": ["https://trusted-domain.example.com"],
  "AudioCaptureAllowedUrls": ["https://trusted-domain.example.com"]
}