CVE-2022-0302
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's Omnibox (address bar) that allows an attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption. Attackers can trigger this by convincing users to interact with a crafted HTML page, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution. All users of Google Chrome 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 with the privileges of the Chrome process, potentially leading to full system compromise, data theft, or malware installation.
Likely Case
Browser crash (denial of service) or limited code execution within Chrome's sandbox, potentially enabling further exploitation.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is fully patched or if users avoid suspicious websites and interactions.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction with a malicious webpage. No public exploit code was found at disclosure.
🛠️ 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 updates and install version 97.0.4692.99 or later. 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allPrevents the malicious HTML page from executing the exploit code.
chrome://settings/content/javascript → Block
Use Site Isolation
allLimits impact by isolating websites in separate processes (already enabled by default in modern Chrome).
chrome://flags/#site-isolation-trial-opt-out → Disabled
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict user access to untrusted websites through web filtering or proxy policies.
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of unauthorized binaries that might result from exploitation.
🔍 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:
Confirm Chrome version is 97.0.4692.99 or higher after update.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with exception codes related to memory corruption (e.g., ACCESS_VIOLATION)
- Unexpected Chrome process termination in system logs
Network Indicators:
- HTTP requests to known malicious domains hosting the exploit HTML
- Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes
SIEM Query:
source="chrome_crash_reports" AND (exception_code="0xc0000005" OR message="heap corruption")