Overview
In the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity, novel vulnerabilities emerge constantly, posing serious threats to businesses and individuals. One such vulnerability is CVE-2025-4372, a medium-severity security flaw found in Google Chrome’s WebAudio component. This vulnerability, if exploited, could potentially enable remote attackers to corrupt heap memory via a specifically crafted HTML page, leading to system compromise or data leakage. Given the widespread use of Google Chrome, this vulnerability could have far-reaching implications, making it a significant concern for organizations and individuals alike.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-4372
Severity: Medium (8.8 CVSS Severity Score)
Attack Vector: Web (via crafted HTML page)
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: Required (User must visit malicious webpage)
Impact: Potential system compromise or data leakage
Affected Products
No phone number, email, or personal info required.
Product | Affected Versions
Google Chrome | Prior to 136.0.7103.92
How the Exploit Works
The exploit leverages a “use after free” vulnerability in Google Chrome’s WebAudio component. In simple terms, a “use after free” vulnerability occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after it has been freed. In this instance, a remote attacker can craft a specific HTML page that, once loaded by the user’s browser, triggers this vulnerability and allows the attacker to corrupt the heap memory. This corruption can possibly lead to arbitrary code execution, which in turn can lead to system compromise or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how an attacker might craft an HTML page to exploit this vulnerability:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<script>
var audioCtx = new (window.AudioContext || window.webkitAudioContext)();
var myArrayBuffer = audioCtx.createBuffer(2, audioCtx.sampleRate * 3.0, audioCtx.sampleRate);
// Fill buffer with malicious data
for (var channel = 0; channel < myArrayBuffer.numberOfChannels; channel++) {
var nowBuffering = myArrayBuffer.getChannelData(channel);
for (var i = 0; i < myArrayBuffer.length; i++) {
nowBuffering[i] = Math.random() * 2 - 1;
}
}
// Get reference to buffer and then free it
var source = audioCtx.createBufferSource();
source.buffer = myArrayBuffer;
source.start();
// Attempt to use buffer after it has been freed
var gainNode = audioCtx.createGain();
source.connect(gainNode);
gainNode.connect(audioCtx.destination);
</script>
</body>
</html>In this example, the attacker creates and populates an audio buffer with random data, then attempts to use it after it has been started (freed). This example is purely conceptual and for illustration purposes only. It may not necessarily result in successful exploitation of the vulnerability.
