CVE-2025-13223

Google · Google Multiple Products

A high-severity type confusion vulnerability has been identified in the V8 JavaScript engine used by Google Chrome and other products.

Executive summary

A high-severity type confusion vulnerability has been identified in the V8 JavaScript engine used by Google Chrome and other products. This flaw could allow a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on a victim's system by tricking them into visiting a specially crafted webpage, potentially leading to a full system compromise. Immediate patching is required to mitigate the significant risk of data theft, malware installation, and further network intrusion.

Vulnerability

This vulnerability is a type confusion flaw within the V8 JavaScript and WebAssembly engine. Type confusion occurs when a program allocates or initializes a memory object with a specific type but later accesses that same object using an incompatible type. An attacker can exploit this by creating a malicious webpage with carefully crafted JavaScript that triggers this logical error in V8's handling of objects. Successful exploitation causes the engine to misinterpret data in memory, allowing an attacker to write outside of intended memory boundaries. This can be leveraged to achieve arbitrary code execution within the context of the browser's sandboxed renderer process.

Business impact

This vulnerability is rated as High severity with a CVSS score of 8.8. Successful exploitation could have a severe impact on the organization. An attacker could execute malicious code on any employee's workstation simply by luring them to a compromised or attacker-controlled website, requiring no further user interaction beyond visiting the page. Potential consequences include the theft of sensitive data such as login credentials and proprietary information, the deployment of ransomware or spyware, and the establishment of a persistent foothold within the corporate network. Given the widespread use of Google Chrome, this vulnerability represents a significant risk to endpoint security and data integrity.

Remediation

Immediate Action: Apply vendor security updates immediately. All instances of Google Chrome should be updated to version 142 or later. Any other software utilizing the V8 engine should be updated according to the vendor's specific guidance. Following the update, monitor for any signs of exploitation attempts by reviewing endpoint and network security logs for anomalous activity.

Proactive Monitoring: Security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to browser exploitation. This includes looking for unusual child processes spawning from browser processes (e.g., chrome.exe launching powershell.exe or cmd.exe), unexpected network connections to unknown or malicious IP addresses, and alerts from Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems related to memory corruption or sandbox escape techniques.

Compensating Controls: If immediate patching is not feasible, the following controls can help reduce the risk:

  • Utilize a Secure Web Gateway (SWG) with up-to-date threat intelligence to block access to malicious and uncategorized websites.
  • Enforce the principle of least privilege for user accounts to limit the post-exploitation impact of a compromised workstation.
  • Ensure endpoint security solutions (EDR, NGAV) are fully updated and configured for behavioral-based detection to identify and block exploit-like activity.
  • Consider deploying browser isolation technology to execute web sessions in a remote, contained environment, isolating the corporate network from potential threats.

Exploitation status

Public Exploit Available: false

Analyst recommendation

Given the high CVSS score of 8.8 and the potential for remote code execution with minimal user interaction, this vulnerability poses a critical risk to the organization. Although CVE-2025-13223 is not currently listed on the CISA KEV catalog, vulnerabilities of this nature are prime candidates for future inclusion due to their impact and attractiveness to attackers. We strongly recommend that organizations prioritize the deployment of the security updates for Google Chrome and all other affected products immediately to prevent potential exploitation.