Google Chrome V8 Engine Integer Overflow Heap Corruption Vulnerability (CVE-2018-6065) Technical Advisory
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTGoogle Chrome versions prior to 65.0.3325.146 and applications utilizing affected V8 JavaScript engine releases
Remote attackers can trigger heap corruption and potentially execute arbitrary code via a specially crafted HTML page
Immediately upgrade Google Chrome to the latest stable channel (65.0.3325.146 or higher) and apply OS-level package updates
Affected Products & Version Scope
Remediation & Live Workaround Commands
PATCH & WORKAROUND1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands
Update Google Chrome and its dependencies to the patched version using the system package manager.
# For Debian/Ubuntu-based systems
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install google-chrome-stable -y
# For Red Hat/RHEL-based systems
sudo yum update google-chrome-stable -y2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
If immediate patching is not feasible, enforce strict outbound access controls and ensure that the Chrome sandbox is never disabled in production environments.
# Verify that no active Chrome processes are running with the dangerous '--no-sandbox' flag
ps aux | grep chrome | grep -E '--no-sandbox'3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Use the following script to audit the currently installed Google Chrome version and identify if the system is running a vulnerable release.
# Shell script to audit Google Chrome version
if command -v google-chrome >/dev/null 2>&1; then
CHROME_VER=$(google-chrome --version | awk '{print $3}')
echo '[INFO] Detected Chrome Version: '$CHROME_VER
# Simple version check
LOWEST_SAFE='65.0.3325.146'
if [ '$(printf '%s\
' '$LOWEST_SAFE' '$CHROME_VER' | sort -V | head -n1)' != '$LOWEST_SAFE' ]; then
echo '[WARNING] Vulnerable version detected. Upgrade is highly recommended.'
else
echo '[OK] Chrome version is patched.'
fi
else
echo '[INFO] Google Chrome binary not found in standard PATH.'
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Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics
1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause
This vulnerability (CVE-2018-6065) is an integer overflow (CWE-190) that occurs within the V8 JavaScript engine of Google Chrome when calculating the required memory allocation size during the instantiation of a new JavaScript object. Due to insufficient validation of size parameters, defining an object with extremely large properties or arrays causes the internal size calculation to wrap around, resulting in a heap buffer allocation that is significantly smaller than the actual data size.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
An attacker exploits this vulnerability by hosting a malicious HTML page containing crafted JavaScript code designed to trigger the integer overflow. When a victim visits the page, the V8 engine attempts to instantiate the object, leading to an out-of-bounds write into the undersized heap buffer. This heap corruption allows the attacker to overwrite adjacent memory structures, manipulate the JavaScript execution context to gain arbitrary memory read/write primitives, bypass the browser sandbox, and ultimately execute arbitrary code on the host system.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
As a vulnerability listed in the CISA KEV catalog, CVE-2018-6065 has been actively exploited in the wild. With an EPSS score of 0.603 (60.3%), it represents a highly active threat vector. Successful exploitation compromises the user's endpoint, allowing attackers to establish a foothold within the corporate network, exfiltrate sensitive credentials, and deploy ransomware, posing severe risks to business continuity and data integrity.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
Integer overflow in computing the required allocation size when instantiating a new javascript object in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 65.0.3325.146 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2018-6065)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2018-6065 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2018-6065 is rated CVSS 8.8 (HIGH) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 60.3%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2018-6065?
Primary impacted vendors include google, redhat, debian across chrome, v8, rhel, debian_linux. Scope summary: Google Chrome prior to version 65.0.3325.146 across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms, as well as downstream Chromium-based browsers and V8-dependent runtimes
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2018-6065 before patching?
[Mitigation] Immediately upgrade Google Chrome to the latest stable channel (65.0.3325.146 or higher) and apply OS-level package updates Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.
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