CVE-2022-4918
📋 TL;DR
This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's UI component that allows a remote attacker to perform arbitrary read/write operations via a crafted HTML page. It affects Chrome versions prior to 102.0.5005.61. Users who visit malicious websites with vulnerable Chrome versions 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 through arbitrary code execution, potentially leading to data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Arbitrary memory read/write leading to information disclosure, browser compromise, or limited code execution within browser sandbox.
If Mitigated
No impact if Chrome is updated to patched version or if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting malicious website). No public exploit code was found in references.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 102.0.5005.61 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_24.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Chrome 2. Click menu (three dots) → Help → About Google Chrome 3. Chrome will automatically check for and install updates 4. Click 'Relaunch' when prompted
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
allTemporarily disable JavaScript to prevent exploitation via malicious websites
chrome://settings/content/javascript → Block
Use Browser Sandboxing
allRun Chrome in sandboxed environment to limit potential damage
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict access to untrusted websites using web filtering
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized browser execution
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: If version is less than 102.0.5005.61, system is vulnerableCheck Version:
google-chrome --version (Linux) or chrome://version (all platforms)Verify Fix Applied:
Verify Chrome version is 102.0.5005.61 or higher📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Chrome crash reports with memory corruption signatures
- Unusual process spawning from Chrome
Network Indicators:
- Connections to known malicious domains serving HTML pages
- Unusual outbound traffic patterns from Chrome
SIEM Query:
source="chrome" AND (event_type="crash" OR process_name="chrome.exe" AND parent_process!="explorer.exe")🔗 References
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_24.html
- https://crbug.com/1315102
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PQKT7EGDD2P3L7S3NXEDDRCPK4NNZNWJ/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YKLJ3B3D5BCVWE3QNP4N7HHF26OHD567/
- https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/05/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_24.html
- https://crbug.com/1315102
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PQKT7EGDD2P3L7S3NXEDDRCPK4NNZNWJ/
- https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/YKLJ3B3D5BCVWE3QNP4N7HHF26OHD567/
