CVE-2018-16068
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Google Chrome's Mojo IPC framework allows a remote attacker to escape the browser sandbox via a malicious HTML page. It affects Chrome versions before 69.0.3497.81, potentially enabling full system compromise. Users who haven't updated Chrome are at risk.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
- Chromium-based browsers
📦 What is this software?
Chrome by Google
Google Chrome is the world's most popular web browser, used by over 3 billion users globally across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS platforms. As a Chromium-based browser developed by Google, Chrome dominates the browser market with approximately 65% market share, making it a critical compon...
Learn more about Chrome →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with attacker gaining full control over the victim's machine, installing malware, stealing data, and pivoting to other systems.
Likely Case
Sandbox escape leading to arbitrary code execution with user privileges, enabling data theft, ransomware deployment, or credential harvesting.
If Mitigated
Attack contained within Chrome sandbox with minimal impact if sandbox isolation holds, though browser data may still be compromised.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting malicious site) but no authentication. Bug reports and security advisories indicate active exploitation was occurring.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 69.0.3497.81 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2018/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome and click the three-dot menu. 2. Go to Help > About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install version 69.0.3497.81 or higher. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the fix.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allPrevents exploitation by disabling JavaScript execution, though this breaks most websites.
chrome://settings/content/javascript > Block
Use Site Isolation
allEnables Chrome's Site Isolation feature to limit impact of renderer compromises.
chrome://flags/#enable-site-per-process > Enable
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict web browsing to trusted sites only using browser policies or extensions.
- Deploy application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries post-exploitation.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: If version is below 69.0.3497.81, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Chrome: chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' in terminalVerify Fix Applied:
Confirm Chrome version is 69.0.3497.81 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with Mojo-related errors
- Unexpected child process termination
- Sandbox policy violation logs
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from Chrome to unexpected destinations post-visit to suspicious site
- DNS requests for known exploit domains
SIEM Query:
source="chrome_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="sandbox_violation") AND process="chrome" | stats count by host🔗 References
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105215
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2666
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2018/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/877182
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-10
- https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4289
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/105215
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:2666
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2018/09/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
- https://crbug.com/877182
- https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/201811-10
- https://www.debian.org/security/2018/dsa-4289
