CVE-2022-4924 – This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrom... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2022-4924?

CVE-2022-4924 has a CVSS score of 9.6 (CRITICAL). This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's WebRTC component that allows an attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to escape the browser sandbox. It affects Chrome users running versions before 97.0.4692.71. Successful exploitation could give attackers full system access.

📋 TL;DR

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in Chrome's WebRTC component that allows an attacker who has already compromised the renderer process to escape the browser sandbox. It affects Chrome users running versions before 97.0.4692.71. Successful exploitation could give attackers full system access.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Google Chrome
Chromium-based browsers

Versions: All versions prior to 97.0.4692.71

Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, ChromeOS

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: All default Chrome installations are vulnerable. Requires renderer process compromise first, which can be achieved through other browser vulnerabilities.

📦 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

Full system compromise with attacker gaining complete control over the victim's machine, enabling data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Sandbox escape leading to arbitrary code execution with system-level privileges, allowing installation of malware, credential theft, and lateral movement.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited to renderer process compromise only, with sandbox preventing system-level access if vulnerability is patched or workarounds applied.

🌐 Internet-Facing: HIGH

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires chaining with another vulnerability to first compromise renderer process. Sandbox escape exploits are highly valuable to attackers.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 97.0.4692.71

Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/01/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.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 update 4. Click 'Relaunch' to restart Chrome with the fix

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable WebRTC

all

Temporarily disable WebRTC functionality to prevent exploitation

chrome://flags/#disable-webrtc
Set to 'Disabled' and restart Chrome

Use Chrome Enterprise policies

all

Deploy policies to restrict WebRTC usage in enterprise environments

Configure 'DefaultWebRTCIPHandlingPolicy' to 'disable_non_proxied_udp'

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized Chrome execution
Deploy network segmentation to limit browser access to sensitive systems

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Chrome version in About Google Chrome page. If version is below 97.0.4692.71, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

chrome://version/ or 'google-chrome --version' on Linux/macOS command line

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm Chrome version is 97.0.4692.71 or higher in About Google Chrome page.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Chrome crash reports with WebRTC-related modules
Unexpected Chrome child process creation with elevated privileges
Security event logs showing Chrome spawning processes outside sandbox

Network Indicators:

Unusual outbound connections from Chrome processes
STUN/TURN protocol anomalies in WebRTC traffic

SIEM Query:

process_name:chrome.exe AND (parent_process:chrome.exe AND command_line:*--type=renderer*) AND (child_process:cmd.exe OR child_process:powershell.exe)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2022-4924

CVSS v3 Score: 9.6 (CRITICAL)

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

CWE: CWE-416

Published: July 29, 2023

Last Updated: November 21, 2024

🔗 References

https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/01/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1272967 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PQKT7EGDD2P3L7S3NXEDDRCPK4NNZNWJ/
https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2022/01/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html Release Notes,Vendor Advisory
https://crbug.com/1272967 Exploit,Issue Tracking,Vendor Advisory
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PQKT7EGDD2P3L7S3NXEDDRCPK4NNZNWJ/

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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