EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
On March 23, 2022 an anonymous user reported a Type Confusion vulnerability in the Google Chrome browser. On March 29, 2022, Google released a new version of their popular Chrome browser to patch the zero-day vulnerability in the Chrome browser for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Microsoft also confirmed that it’s chromium-based Edge browser was susceptible to the same zero-day vulnerability. With the discovery that Chromium-based browsers are also affected, alternative browsers including Brave, Amazon Silk, Opera, Samsung Internet, Vivaldi, and Yandex are all affected by this vulnerability.
IMPACT
Specific details about this vulnerability are being held by Google until the majority of browsers have been patched, to limit the exposure and potential compromises once the exact vulnerability is detailed to the public. The large number of affected browser products across a wide-variety of platforms does make this a high impact vulnerability.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
A type confusion vulnerability exists when a program allocates or initializes a resource such as a pointer, object, or variable using one type, but it later accesses that resource using a type that is incompatible with the original type. When the program accesses the resource using an incompatible type, this could trigger logical errors because the resource does not have expected properties. In languages without memory safety, such as C and C++, type confusion can lead to out-of-bounds memory access.
This specific type confusion vulnerability is in V8, Chrome’s JavaScript engine. V8 is also used server-side in Node.js, however, the Node.js team has not confirmed the vulnerability exists in their product yet.
MITIGATION STEPS
Use the Update feature in your Chrome browser, or use a third-party patch management solution to apply the latest Chrome build for your Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems to remediate the vulnerability.
SOURCES
- https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/843.html
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2022/03/29/google-chrome-update-warning-zero-day-hack-upgrade-chrome-now/?sh=6f7012e0e6cd
- https://www.zdnet.com/article/chrome-and-edge-hit-with-v8-type-confusion-vulnerability-with-in-the-wild-exploit/
CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS
- Stephen Jones, Vice President, Cybersecurity Services
