CVE-2017-5030
Google Chromium V8 Memory Corruption Vulnerability
Description
CVE-2017-5030 is a memory corruption vulnerability in the Google Chromium V8 JavaScript engine that allows a remote attacker to execute code via a crafted HTML page. The flaw enables corruption of V8 heap memory through malicious JavaScript, which can be leveraged for arbitrary code execution within the browser renderer process. This Chromium V8 vulnerability affects multiple web browsers that utilize the Chromium engine, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera. CISA has added CVE-2017-5030 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and with an EPSS score of 50.7% (97th percentile), this vulnerability represents a significant browser security threat requiring prompt remediation.
KEV Information
CVSS Score
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HOpen in CalculatorAffected Products
| Vendor | Product | Version |
|---|---|---|
| chrome | < 57.0.2987.98; < 57.0.2987.108 | |
| debian | debian linux | 8.0; 9.0 |
| redhat | enterprise linux desktop | 6.0 |
| redhat | enterprise linux server | 6.0 |
| redhat | enterprise linux workstation | 6.0 |
Multiple CVSS Assessments
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
References
- http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017-0499.html(Third Party Advisory)
- http://www.debian.org/security/2017/dsa-3810(Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/96767(Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2017/03/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html(Release Notes, Vendor Advisory)
- https://crbug.com/682194(Exploit, Issue Tracking)
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201704-02(Third Party Advisory)
- https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-20-126/(Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2017-5030(US Government Resource)
Weakness Type
CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write
CVE-2017-5030 involves a memory corruption vulnerability in the Chromium V8 engine that results in out-of-bounds write operations. The V8 engine processes crafted JavaScript in a way that causes writes beyond intended buffer boundaries, corrupting adjacent heap memory. This memory corruption can be controlled by an attacker to overwrite critical data structures and achieve code execution.
Learn more: CWE-787 — Out-of-bounds Write
Impact Analysis
CVE-2017-5030 is a high-severity vulnerability in the Chromium V8 JavaScript engine that is remotely exploitable through a malicious web page, requiring no authentication or special privileges. The memory corruption in V8 enables arbitrary code execution within the renderer process when a user simply visits an attacker-controlled page. Confidentiality and integrity are critically impacted as successful exploitation grants the attacker access to all data within the browser process, including stored credentials, session tokens, and browsing data. Availability may also be affected through browser crashes or denial of service. The EPSS score of 50.7% (97th percentile) indicates very high exploitation probability, and the cross-browser impact across all Chromium-based browsers creates a massive attack surface. Memory corruption vulnerabilities in V8 are particularly dangerous because they provide a reliable path from a crafted web page to code execution.
Exploit Maturity
CISA has confirmed active exploitation of CVE-2017-5030 in the wild by including it in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a remediation deadline of June 22, 2022. The EPSS score of 50.7% (97th percentile) reflects very high exploitation probability. No specific ransomware campaigns have been publicly attributed to this vulnerability. However, V8 memory corruption vulnerabilities are actively sought by exploit developers and have been documented in use by multiple threat actor groups in browser-based exploitation campaigns. The vulnerability provides a foundational primitive for browser exploit chains that can achieve full system compromise when combined with sandbox escape techniques.
Remediation
- Update all Chromium-based browsers immediately to versions that address CVE-2017-5030, including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and other Chromium derivatives.
- Enable automatic browser updates across all organizational endpoints to ensure V8 security patches are deployed without delay.
- Deploy browser isolation solutions that render web content in isolated containers or virtual machines, preventing V8 memory corruption exploits from affecting the host system.
- Implement web content filtering through secure web gateways or DNS filtering to block access to known exploit delivery infrastructure and high-risk domains.
- Enable enhanced security modes in Chromium-based browsers where available, such as Chrome's V8 heap sandbox or site isolation features that provide additional memory corruption mitigations.
Technical Details
CVE-2017-5030 is a memory corruption vulnerability in the V8 JavaScript engine used by Chromium-based browsers. The vulnerability manifests when V8 processes specially crafted JavaScript that triggers a code path resulting in out-of-bounds heap writes. The crafted JavaScript exploits a flaw in V8's handling of certain operations — potentially related to array manipulation, object property access, or JIT-compiled code execution — to write data beyond the boundaries of allocated heap buffers. This out-of-bounds write corrupts adjacent V8 heap objects, including object metadata, typed array backing stores, or JIT code regions. Through careful heap layout control (heap grooming), an attacker places target objects adjacent to the vulnerable buffer and uses the corruption to establish arbitrary read/write primitives, which are then escalated to code execution within the renderer process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CVE-2017-5030 being actively exploited?
Yes. CISA has confirmed active exploitation by including CVE-2017-5030 in the KEV catalog. The EPSS score of 50.7% (97th percentile) indicates very high exploitation probability. V8 memory corruption vulnerabilities are actively targeted by multiple threat actor groups.
What products are affected by CVE-2017-5030?
CVE-2017-5030 affects all Chromium-based browsers including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Brave, and Vivaldi. Any browser built on the affected Chromium engine version is vulnerable.
How do I fix CVE-2017-5030?
Update all Chromium-based browsers to the latest patched versions. Enable automatic updates, deploy browser isolation technology, and implement web filtering for additional protection.
How severe is CVE-2017-5030?
CVE-2017-5030 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability with an EPSS score of 50.7% in the 97th percentile. It enables remote code execution through a crafted web page, affecting all Chromium-based browsers. Its confirmed active exploitation and high EPSS score make it a critical remediation priority.
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