CVE-2025-6554: Type Confusion in Chrome’s V8 Engine – What You Need to Know
A new high-severity vulnerability, CVE-2025-6554, has been identified in Google Chrome’s V8 JavaScript engine. This flaw, disclosed in late June 2025, poses a serious risk to users and enterprises alike — particularly those relying on Chrome for daily operations.
What Is CVE-2025-6554?
CVE-2025-6554 is a type confusion vulnerability in the V8 engine used by Google Chrome. It affects versions prior to 138.0.7204.96. The flaw allows a remote attacker to perform arbitrary read/write operations in memory by tricking a user into visiting a malicious HTML page
- Severity: High (CVSS v3.1 score: 8.1)
- Attack Vector: Remote (via crafted web content)
- Impact: Confidentiality and integrity compromise
- Exploitability: Requires user interaction (e.g., clicking a link)
This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be used to bypass browser sandboxing and potentially execute code outside the browser context.
How It Can Be Exploited
An attacker can exploit CVE-2025-6554 by:
- Hosting a malicious webpage that leverages the type confusion flaw.
- Luring a victim to visit the page (e.g., via phishing email or social engineering).
- Gaining the ability to read or write arbitrary memory locations within the browser process.
This could lead to further exploitation such as privilege escalation, data theft, or even full system compromise if chained with other vulnerabilities.
With Chrome being the most widely used browser in enterprise environments, this vulnerability represents a significant risk — especially in unmanaged or BYOD scenarios.
Remediation Recommendations
To mitigate the risk posed by CVE-2025-6554, organisations should take the following steps:
1. Update Chrome Immediately
Ensure all endpoints are running Chrome version 138.0.7204.96 or later. Use enterprise tools like Intune, SCCM, or third-party patching platforms to enforce this update.
2. Audit Browser Versions
Use your vulnerability management tools (e.g., Qualys, Tenable) to identify systems running outdated versions of Chrome. Prioritise high-risk users such as executives or those with elevated privileges.
3. Restrict Web Access
Implement web filtering to block access to known malicious domains. Consider isolating browser sessions using virtualisation or remote browser isolation (RBI) for high-risk users.
4. Educate Users
Remind users not to click on suspicious links or open unexpected attachments. Reinforce phishing awareness training.
5. Monitor for Exploitation
Enable logging and alerting for unusual browser behaviour. Integrate threat intelligence feeds to detect indicators of compromise (IOCs) related to this CVE.
