CVE-2022-2477 – This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Googl... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-2477?

CVE-2022-2477 has a CVSS score of 8.8 (HIGH). This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's Guest View component that allows heap corruption. Attackers can exploit it by tricking users into installing a malicious extension and visiting a crafted HTML page. All Chrome users prior to version 103.0.5060.134 are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's Guest View component that allows heap corruption. Attackers can exploit it by tricking users into installing a malicious extension and visiting a crafted HTML page. All Chrome users prior to version 103.0.5060.134 are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 103.0.5060.134

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, Chrome OS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires both a malicious extension installation and visiting a crafted HTML page. Guest View is enabled by default.

📦 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

Full system compromise through arbitrary code execution, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or complete system control.

🟠

Likely Case

Browser compromise allowing session hijacking, credential theft, and installation of persistent malware through the malicious extension.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if extensions are restricted and users avoid suspicious websites, though heap corruption could still cause crashes.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH - Exploitation requires user interaction but can be triggered through common web browsing activities.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users could be targeted via phishing or compromised internal websites.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires social engineering to install malicious extension plus crafted HTML page. No public exploit code available at disclosure.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 103.0.5060.134 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Open Chrome menu > Help > About Google Chrome. 2. Chrome will automatically check for updates and install version 103.0.5060.134 or later. 3. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the fix applied.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Guest Mode

all

Prevents exploitation by disabling the vulnerable Guest View component

chrome://flags/#enable-guest-view
Set to 'Disabled'

Restrict Extension Installation

all

Prevent users from installing malicious extensions via enterprise policy

Windows Registry: HKLM\Software\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallBlocklist = *
Linux: /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/policy.json with ExtensionInstallBlocklist: ["*"]

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable Chrome Guest Mode via chrome://flags/#enable-guest-view
Implement application whitelisting to block Chrome execution until patched

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version via chrome://version or 'About Google Chrome' - if version is below 103.0.5060.134, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

google-chrome --version (Linux) or navigate to chrome://version in browser

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 103.0.5060.134 or higher via chrome://version.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with guest_view references
Unexpected extension installation events
Heap corruption error messages in system logs

Network Indicators:

Requests to known malicious domains hosting crafted HTML pages
Unusual outbound connections from Chrome process

SIEM Query:

source="chrome" AND (event="crash" AND message="guest_view") OR (event="extension_install" AND NOT user_initiated)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-2477

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: July 28, 2022

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1336266 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PQKT7EGDD2P3L7S3NXEDDRCPK4NNZNWJ/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YKLJ3B3D5BCVWE3QNP4N7HHF26OHD567/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-35 Third Party Advisory
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/07/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_19.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1336266 Permissions Required,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PQKT7EGDD2P3L7S3NXEDDRCPK4NNZNWJ/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce%40lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YKLJ3B3D5BCVWE3QNP4N7HHF26OHD567/
https://security.gentoo.org/glsa/202208-35 Third Party Advisory

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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