CVE-2022-0297
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's Vulkan graphics API implementation that allows remote attackers to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers can trigger this vulnerability by tricking users into visiting a malicious HTML page. All Chrome users on versions prior to 97.0.4692.99 are affected.
💻 Affected Systems
- Google Chrome
📦 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
Remote code execution leading to full system compromise, data theft, or ransomware deployment.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited memory corruption leading to information disclosure.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if vulnerable systems are isolated from untrusted content.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires bypassing Chrome's sandbox and ASLR protections. The vulnerability is in the browser renderer process.
🛠️ 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 the 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 Vulkan API
allDisable Chrome's Vulkan graphics API to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability
chrome://flags/#enable-vulkan
Set to 'Disabled'
Relaunch Chrome
Use Chrome Sandboxing
allEnsure Chrome sandbox is enabled to limit impact if exploitation occurs
Verify sandbox status at chrome://sandbox/
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to untrusted websites using web filtering or proxy controls
- Isolate vulnerable Chrome instances in network segments with limited access
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: If version is less than 97.0.4692.99, the system is vulnerable.Check Version:
On Chrome: chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' in terminalVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Chrome version is 97.0.4692.99 or higher after applying update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with Vulkan-related stack traces
- Unexpected Chrome process termination events
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes post-crash
- Traffic to known malicious domains hosting exploit code
SIEM Query:
source="chrome" AND (event_type="crash" OR process_termination="unexpected") AND version<"97.0.4692.99"