CVE-2024-7964 Overview
CVE-2024-7964 is a Use After Free vulnerability in the Passwords component of Google Chrome on Android. This memory corruption flaw exists in versions prior to 128.0.6613.84 and allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability was assigned a high severity rating by Chromium security, indicating significant potential for exploitation.
Critical Impact
Remote attackers can exploit this Use After Free vulnerability to achieve heap corruption through maliciously crafted HTML pages, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or browser compromise on Android devices.
Affected Products
- Google Chrome on Android prior to version 128.0.6613.84
- Google Chrome Desktop prior to version 128.0.6613.84
- Google Android (as the affected operating system platform)
Discovery Timeline
- 2024-08-21 - CVE-2024-7964 published to NVD
- 2024-08-27 - Last updated in NVD database
Technical Details for CVE-2024-7964
Vulnerability Analysis
This Use After Free (CWE-416) vulnerability resides in the Passwords component of Google Chrome when running on Android devices. Use After Free vulnerabilities occur when a program continues to use a memory reference after that memory has been freed, leading to undefined behavior. In this case, the vulnerability allows an attacker to manipulate freed memory in the heap, potentially corrupting critical data structures or achieving code execution.
The attack requires user interaction, specifically visiting a maliciously crafted HTML page. Once the victim accesses the attacker-controlled content, the vulnerability can be triggered remotely over the network without requiring any privileges on the target system. Successful exploitation could result in full compromise of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected browser session.
Root Cause
The root cause of CVE-2024-7964 is improper memory management in Chrome's Passwords component on Android. When handling certain operations related to password management functionality, the code continues to reference memory after it has been deallocated. This dangling pointer condition creates an opportunity for heap corruption when the freed memory is reallocated and overwritten with attacker-controlled data.
Attack Vector
The attack vector is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must convince a victim to visit a specially crafted HTML page that triggers the Use After Free condition in the Passwords component. The attack flow typically involves:
- Attacker creates a malicious HTML page designed to trigger the vulnerability
- Victim is lured to visit the malicious page through phishing or other social engineering techniques
- The crafted page manipulates Chrome's Passwords component memory handling
- Freed memory is accessed, causing heap corruption
- Attacker potentially achieves arbitrary code execution within the browser context
The vulnerability mechanism involves memory corruption in the Passwords component. When specific operations are performed through a crafted HTML page, the browser incorrectly accesses memory that has already been freed. This creates a condition where an attacker can potentially control the contents of the freed memory region, leading to heap corruption. For technical implementation details, see the Chromium Issue Tracker Entry.
Detection Methods for CVE-2024-7964
Indicators of Compromise
- Unusual browser crashes or instability when visiting unknown websites
- Unexpected memory consumption patterns in Chrome processes on Android devices
- Chrome crash reports indicating heap corruption in Password-related components
- Evidence of visits to suspicious or known malicious domains in browser history
Detection Strategies
- Monitor for Chrome crash dumps that indicate heap corruption or Use After Free conditions
- Implement network monitoring to detect access to known malicious URLs targeting this vulnerability
- Deploy endpoint detection solutions capable of identifying memory corruption exploitation attempts
- Audit Chrome version deployments across managed Android devices to identify unpatched instances
Monitoring Recommendations
- Enable Chrome crash reporting and analyze reports for Password component-related failures
- Monitor Mobile Device Management (MDM) consoles for Chrome version compliance on Android devices
- Implement web filtering to block access to known exploit hosting domains
- Review SentinelOne Singularity platform alerts for suspicious browser behavior patterns on Android endpoints
How to Mitigate CVE-2024-7964
Immediate Actions Required
- Update Google Chrome on all Android devices to version 128.0.6613.84 or later immediately
- Enable automatic updates for Chrome browser across all managed Android devices
- Alert users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites until patches are applied
- Review and restrict browsing to trusted sites on unpatched devices where possible
Patch Information
Google has released a security update addressing this vulnerability in Chrome version 128.0.6613.84. The patch was announced in the Google Chrome Desktop Update on August 21, 2024. Organizations should prioritize deployment of this update across all Android devices running Chrome.
To verify your Chrome version on Android:
- Open Chrome browser
- Tap the three-dot menu
- Navigate to Settings > About Chrome
- Confirm version is 128.0.6613.84 or higher
Workarounds
- Restrict browser usage to trusted websites only until the patch can be applied
- Consider using alternative browsers temporarily on Android devices that cannot be immediately updated
- Implement web content filtering at the network level to block potentially malicious HTML content
- Enable Chrome's Site Isolation feature for additional protection against cross-site attacks
# Configuration example for enterprise Chrome deployment via MDM
# Force Chrome updates on managed Android devices
# For Android Enterprise managed devices, push policy to enforce minimum Chrome version
# Policy: com.android.chrome
# Key: MinimumChromeVersionEnforced
# Value: 128.0.6613.84
# Alternatively, configure auto-update settings
# Key: AppAutoUpdatePolicy
# Value: 1 (Auto-update enabled)
Disclaimer: This content was generated using AI. While we strive for accuracy, please verify critical information with official sources.
