CVE-2022-0289 – This vulnerability allows remote attackers to p... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-0289?

CVE-2022-0289 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page due to a use-after-free bug in Chrome's Safe Browsing feature. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause browser crashes. All users running vulnerable Chrome versions are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page due to a use-after-free bug in Chrome's Safe Browsing feature. Attackers could execute arbitrary code or cause browser crashes. All users running vulnerable Chrome versions are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome

Versions: All versions prior to 97.0.4692.99

Operating Systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Safe Browsing is enabled by default in Chrome. All platforms with vulnerable Chrome versions are affected.

📦 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...

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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to full system compromise, data theft, or malware installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser crash (denial of service) or limited code execution in sandboxed context.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if Chrome is fully patched or Safe Browsing is disabled.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Exploitable via visiting malicious websites, no authentication required.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could be exploited via internal phishing pages or compromised internal sites.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Proof-of-concept details available on Packet Storm. Requires user to visit malicious page but no authentication needed.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 97.0.4692.99 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/01/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome. 2. Click three-dot menu → Help → About Google Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Safe Browsing

all

Temporarily disable Safe Browsing feature (not recommended for security)

chrome://settings/security → Disable 'Safe Browsing'

Use alternative browser

all

Switch to updated alternative browser until Chrome is patched

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict web browsing to trusted sites only using network policies
Implement web filtering to block malicious HTML content

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version: chrome://version/ and compare with 97.0.4692.99

Check Version:

chrome://version/

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify Chrome version is 97.0.4692.99 or higher in chrome://version/

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports
Unexpected process terminations
Security event logs showing browser exploitation

Network Indicators:

Requests to known malicious domains hosting exploit code
Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes

SIEM Query:

source="chrome_logs" AND (event="crash" OR event="process_termination") AND version<"97.0.4692.99"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-0289

CVSS v3 Score: 8.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-416

Published: February 12, 2022

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/166547/Chrome-safe_browsing-ThreatDetails-OnReceivedThreatDOMDetails-Use-After-Free.html Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/01/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1284367 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/166547/Chrome-safe_browsing-ThreatDetails-OnReceivedThreatDOMDetails-Use-After-Free.html Third Party Advisory,VDB Entry
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/01/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1284367 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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