Overview
CVE-2024-11920 is a high-severity security vulnerability affecting Google Chrome on Mac, specifically within the Dawn component. This vulnerability, if exploited, allows a remote attacker to perform out-of-bounds memory access through a crafted HTML page. Google addressed this issue in Chrome version 130.0.6723.92 and later.
Technical Details
The vulnerability stems from an “Inappropriate implementation” within the Dawn graphics library in Google Chrome. Dawn is a cross-platform, low-level 3D graphics API. Due to the inadequate handling of specific inputs or operations, a specially crafted HTML page can trigger an out-of-bounds memory access. This means an attacker could potentially read or write to memory locations outside of the intended boundaries of a program, leading to crashes, unexpected behavior, or potentially the execution of arbitrary code.
The root cause lies in the way Dawn handles certain data structures or calculations, allowing an attacker to manipulate inputs to exceed allocated memory regions. Further investigation is needed using the chromium bug tracker id for exact details.
CVSS Analysis
Due to the lack of specific CVSS information provided, we cannot present a definitive CVSS score or vector. However, given the “High” severity rating assigned by Chromium security, it is likely that a CVSS score would fall within the High to Critical range (7.0-10.0). The potential for remote exploitation via a crafted HTML page further increases the severity.
Possible Impact
Successful exploitation of CVE-2024-11920 could lead to the following impacts:
- Information Disclosure: An attacker could potentially read sensitive data from memory.
- Denial of Service (DoS): The vulnerability could cause Chrome to crash or become unresponsive.
- Code Execution (Potentially): In some scenarios, an attacker might be able to leverage the out-of-bounds memory access to execute arbitrary code on the victim’s machine.
Mitigation or Patch Steps
The primary mitigation is to update Google Chrome to version 130.0.6723.92 or later. Chrome typically updates automatically, but users can manually check for updates by following these steps:
- Open Google Chrome.
- Click on the three dots (Menu) in the top right corner.
- Go to Help > About Google Chrome.
- Chrome will automatically check for updates and install them.
- Restart Chrome to apply the updates.
It is crucial to apply this update as soon as possible to protect against potential exploitation.
