Google Chrome Memory Implementation Information Disclosure Vulnerability (CVE-2021-37976) Analysis and Mitigation Guide
Executive & SecOps Summary
SECOPS ASSESSMENTGoogle Chrome prior to version 94.0.4606.71
A remote attacker can retrieve potentially sensitive information from process memory via a crafted HTML page
Immediately update Google Chrome to the latest stable version (94.0.4606.71 or higher)
Affected Products & Version Scope
Remediation & Live Workaround Commands
PATCH & WORKAROUND1. Official Patch & Version Upgrade Commands
To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade Google Chrome to version 94.0.4606.71 or later. Use the following package manager commands for Linux environments:
# Update Google Chrome on Debian/Ubuntu-based systems
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install google-chrome-stable -y
# Update Google Chrome on RedHat/CentOS/Fedora-based systems
sudo dnf upgrade google-chrome-stable -y2. Temporary Workaround & Hardening Configuration
If immediate patching is not feasible, enforce strict Site Isolation policies to mitigate cross-site data exposure risks.
# Launch Chrome with Site Isolation enforced via command line
google-chrome-stable --enable-features=SitePerProcess3. Log Audit & IoC Verification Commands
Run the following script to verify the installed Google Chrome version and determine if the system is vulnerable.
# Bash script to check Chrome version vulnerability status
installed_ver=$(google-chrome --version | awk '{print $3}')
target_ver='94.0.4606.71'
if [ '$(printf '%s\
' '$target_ver' '$installed_ver' | sort -V | head -n1)' = '$target_ver' ]; then
echo '[SAFE] Chrome version '$installed_ver' is patched.'
else
echo '[VULNERABLE] Chrome version '$installed_ver' is vulnerable. Upgrade required.'
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Technical Root Cause & Exploitation Mechanics
1. Vulnerability Overview & Root Cause
This vulnerability (CVE-2021-37976) stems from an inappropriate implementation in the memory management component of Google Chrome. Due to missing or insufficient access control checks (CWE-862) within the renderer process, the browser fails to properly restrict read access to sensitive memory boundaries. This allows unauthorized access to memory segments allocated to the browser process.
2. Exploitation Mechanics & Attack Scenario
An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by hosting a specially crafted HTML page and enticing a target user to visit it. Upon rendering the page, malicious scripts trigger the memory implementation flaw, allowing the attacker to read arbitrary data from the active renderer process memory. This can expose sensitive data such as active session tokens, cookies, and other credentials residing in the process memory space.
3. Infrastructure & Business Impact
As a vulnerability listed in the CISA KEV catalog, this flaw has been actively exploited in the wild. In an enterprise environment, successful exploitation can lead to the exposure of critical session credentials, facilitating subsequent credential stuffing, session hijacking, and potential lateral movement within corporate networks.
Official Vendor Advisories & References
Inappropriate implementation in Memory in Google Chrome prior to 94.0.4606.71 allowed a remote attacker to obtain potentially sensitive information from process memory via a crafted HTML page.
Frequently Asked SecOps Questions (CVE-2021-37976)
FAQQ1. How critical is CVE-2021-37976 and is it actively exploited in the wild?
CVE-2021-37976 is rated CVSS 6.5 (MEDIUM) with a 30-day EPSS exploitation probability of 19.9%. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, requiring immediate emergency remediation.
Q2. Which vendors and products are affected by CVE-2021-37976?
Primary impacted vendors include google across chrome. Scope summary: Google Chrome prior to version 94.0.4606.71 (All Desktop Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux)
Q3. What temporary mitigations or workarounds exist for CVE-2021-37976 before patching?
[Mitigation] Immediately update Google Chrome to the latest stable version (94.0.4606.71 or higher) Follow the CLI remediation commands and interactive SecOps checklist on this page to restrict exposure prior to your maintenance window.
Generate an Internal Engineering Notice or CISO Report for CVE-2021-37976
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