Chrome Zero-Day Vulnerability: How to Stay Safe

04.04.24

Threat Intelligence Alerts

Google has recently patched another critical security flaw in its Chrome browser. This vulnerability, known as CVE-2024-3159, was first revealed at the Pwn2Own cyber security competition where researchers demonstrated how it could be used to attack Chrome users.

The vulnerability is located in the V8 JavaScript engine, a key part of Chrome responsible for running web-based code. The specific weakness is classified as an “out-of-bounds read,” meaning that it could allow attackers to potentially access data outside the intended memory boundaries. In the hands of cybercriminals, this glitch could lead to the exposure of sensitive information or even a system crash.

To exploit the flaw, an attacker would need to lure someone into visiting a carefully designed webpage. This page would contain malicious code that, when processed by Chrome’s vulnerable V8 engine, could trigger what’s known as “heap corruption.” This allows an attacker to manipulate the computer’s memory and potentially steal data or execute harmful software.

The best way to defend against this threat is simple: promptly update your Google Chrome browser. Google has already released a fix, so installing the latest update will close off this security hole. Updates usually happen automatically, but you can manually check and install any available updates by doing the following:

This recent incident highlights the importance of “zero-day” vulnerabilities. These are flaws discovered by researchers or attackers before the software vendor (like Google) is even aware of them. This means there’s no initial patch available, making these exploits particularly dangerous and leaving users vulnerable.

While software companies work hard to find and fix vulnerabilities, attacks exploiting zero-days can happen.  To reduce your risk:

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-fixes-one-more-chrome-zero-day-exploited-at-pwn2own

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2024/04/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html