CVE-2021-21224
Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type in Type confusion in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 90
Executive Summary
CVE-2021-21224 is a high severity vulnerability affecting binary-analysis. It is classified as CWE-843. This vulnerability is actively being exploited in the wild.
Precogs AI Insight
"A type confusion vulnerability exists in the V8 JavaScript engine when handling property accesses. Attackers host crafted webpages to corrupt memory structures, enabling sandbox escape and code execution. Precogs Binary SAST engine uncovers unsafe object casting and type transitions."
What is this vulnerability?
CVE-2021-21224 is categorized as a high Access of Resource Using Incompatible Type flaw with a CVSS base score of 8.8. Based on our vulnerability intelligence, this issue occurs when the application fails to securely handle untrusted data boundaries.
Type confusion in V8 in Google Chrome prior to 90.0.4430.85 allowed a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code inside a sandbox via a crafted HTML page.
This architectural defect enables adversaries to bypass intended security controls, directly manipulating the application's execution state or data layer. Immediate strategic intervention is required.
Risk Assessment
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| CVSS Base Score | 8.8 (HIGH) |
| Vector String | CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Published | April 26, 2021 |
| Last Modified | October 24, 2025 |
| Related CWEs | CWE-843, CWE-843 |
Impact on Systems
✅ Remote Code Execution: Attackers can overwrite the instruction pointer to redirect execution to malicious shellcode.
✅ Memory Corruption: Overwriting adjacent memory regions can corrupt critical application state, leading to privilege escalation.
✅ Denial of Service: Triggering segmentation faults results in immediate disruption of critical systems.
How to Fix and Mitigate CVE-2021-21224
- Apply Vendor Patches Immediately: This vulnerability is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Verify Patch Deployment: Confirm all instances are updated using Precogs continuous monitoring.
- Review Audit Logs: Investigate historical access logs for indicators of compromise related to this attack surface.
- Implement Defense-in-Depth: Deploy WAF rules, network segmentation, and endpoint detection to limit blast radius.
Defending with Precogs AI
A type confusion vulnerability exists in the V8 JavaScript engine when handling property accesses. Attackers host crafted webpages to corrupt memory structures, enabling sandbox escape and code execution. Precogs Binary SAST engine uncovers unsafe object casting and type transitions.
Use Precogs to continuously scan your codebase, binaries, APIs, and infrastructure for this vulnerability class and related attack patterns. Our AI-powered detection engine combines static analysis with threat intelligence to identify exploitable weaknesses before attackers do.
Vulnerability Code Signature
Attack Data Flow
| Stage | Detail |
|---|---|
| Source | Network packet or file input |
| Vector | Data exceeds the allocated buffer bounds during a copy operation |
| Sink | strcpy(), memcpy(), or pointer arithmetic |
| Impact | Memory corruption, Remote Code Execution (RCE) |
Vulnerable Code Pattern
// ❌ VULNERABLE: Memory Corruption
void process_data(char *input) {
char buffer[128];
// Taint sink: copies without bounds checking
strcpy(buffer, input);
}
Secure Code Pattern
// ✅ SECURE: Bounded Memory Operations
void process_data(char *input) {
char buffer[128];
// Sanitized boundary check
strncpy(buffer, input, sizeof(buffer) - 1);
buffer[sizeof(buffer) - 1] = '\0';
}
How Precogs Detects This
Precogs Binary SAST engine explicitly uncovers memory boundary violations and unsafe memory management functions in compiled binaries.\n