Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

CVE-2025-13228: Unveiling a Critical Type Confusion Vulnerability in Chrome’s V8 Engine

Overview

CVE-2025-13228 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting the V8 JavaScript engine in Google Chrome versions prior to 142.0.7444.59. This vulnerability, classified as a type confusion, could be exploited by a remote attacker to potentially cause heap corruption by crafting a malicious HTML page. This could lead to arbitrary code execution, making it a critical security concern for Chrome users.

Technical Details

The core of CVE-2025-13228 lies in a type confusion error within the V8 engine. Type confusion vulnerabilities occur when the code incorrectly handles data types, leading to unexpected behavior and potential memory corruption. In this specific instance, a specially crafted HTML page could trigger the V8 engine to misinterpret data, resulting in heap corruption. The exact details of the exploit are not publicly available to prevent further exploitation, but the vulnerability could allow an attacker to overwrite memory and potentially execute arbitrary code on the victim’s machine.

CVSS Analysis

While the information provided initially lists the CVSS score and severity as “N/A,” given the description (heap corruption leading to potential arbitrary code execution) and Chromium’s classification of “High” severity, a probable CVSS score would be in the range of 8.0 – 10.0 (High to Critical). This is due to the remote attack vector, low attack complexity, and the potential for complete compromise of the system.

Disclaimer: The CVSS score provided is an estimation based on the vulnerability description. The actual CVSS score may differ once officially released by a vulnerability assessment organization.

Possible Impact

The exploitation of CVE-2025-13228 could have severe consequences:

  • Arbitrary Code Execution: An attacker could potentially execute malicious code on the victim’s system, leading to complete control.
  • Data Theft: Sensitive data stored on the system could be stolen.
  • Malware Installation: Malware, including ransomware, could be installed without the user’s knowledge or consent.
  • System Compromise: The entire system could be compromised, allowing the attacker to use it for malicious purposes such as botnet participation.

Mitigation and Patch Steps

The primary mitigation for CVE-2025-13228 is to update Google Chrome to version 142.0.7444.59 or later. Google has released a patch that addresses this vulnerability. Follow these steps to update Chrome:

  1. Open Google Chrome.
  2. Click on the three dots (menu) in the upper right corner.
  3. Go to Help > About Google Chrome.
  4. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install them.
  5. Restart Chrome to apply the updates.

It is crucial to update your browser as soon as possible to protect your system from potential attacks.

References

Cybersecurity specialist and founder of Gowri Shankar Infosec - a professional blog dedicated to sharing actionable insights on cybersecurity, data protection, server administration, and compliance frameworks including SOC 2, PCI DSS, and GDPR.

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