CVE-2025-12435
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to spoof the Chrome Omnibox (address bar) security UI on Android devices, potentially tricking users into believing they're on a legitimate website when they're actually on a malicious one. It affects Google Chrome on Android versions prior to 142.0.7444.59. Users who visit crafted malicious web pages are at risk.
💻 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
Users could be tricked into entering sensitive credentials or financial information into spoofed login pages that appear legitimate due to manipulated security indicators in the address bar.
Likely Case
Phishing attacks where users are deceived into visiting malicious sites that appear to be legitimate due to UI spoofing, potentially leading to credential theft.
If Mitigated
Users who verify URLs carefully or use additional security measures like password managers with domain verification would be less likely to fall victim.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (visiting a malicious page) but no authentication. The vulnerability is in the UI rendering logic.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: 142.0.7444.59 and later
Vendor Advisory: https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2025/10/stable-channel-update-for-desktop_28.html
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Open Google Chrome on Android. 2. Go to Settings > About Chrome. 3. Chrome will automatically check for updates and prompt to install version 142.0.7444.59 or later. 4. Restart Chrome after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable JavaScript
androidTemporarily disable JavaScript to prevent the crafted HTML from executing UI spoofing, though this will break many websites.
Settings > Site settings > JavaScript > toggle off
Use Alternative Browser
androidSwitch to a different browser (e.g., Firefox, Brave) until Chrome is updated.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Educate users to manually verify URLs by tapping the address bar to see the full URL and check for HTTPS indicators.
- Implement network filtering to block known malicious domains that might exploit this vulnerability.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check Chrome version: Open Chrome > Settings > About Chrome. If version is below 142.0.7444.59, the device is vulnerable.Check Version:
Not applicable on Android; use GUI method above.Verify Fix Applied:
After updating, confirm version is 142.0.7444.59 or higher in Settings > About Chrome.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual user reports of suspicious URLs or phishing attempts via Chrome on Android.
Network Indicators:
- Increased traffic to domains with spoofed security UI patterns, though specific signatures are not publicly documented.
SIEM Query:
Not applicable; this is a client-side vulnerability with no server-side logging impact.