Recently, a new vulnerability was discovered in Google Chrome's HTML parser versions prior to 99..4844.51. This vulnerability, tagged under CVE-2022-0801, allows a remote attacker to bypass XSS (Cross-Site Scripting) preventions by crafting a malicious HTML page. In this post, we'll dive into the details of this vulnerability, its potential impact, and how you can secure your Google Chrome browser against it.

The Technical Details Behind CVE-2022-0801

An inappropriate implementation in the HTML parser of Google Chrome versions before 99..4844.51 is at the root of this vulnerability. Due to this implementation flaw, a remote attacker could bypass the XSS protections and execute arbitrary code by crafting a unique HTML page.

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities are a prevalent security risk on the web. An attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities to inject malicious applications or execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of an affected browser. XSS vulnerabilities can lead to severe consequences, such as user account hijacking, targeted user data theft, and more.

To help mitigate XSS vulnerabilities, modern browsers like Google Chrome implement strict XSS prevention mechanisms. However, these mechanisms are only as strong as their implementation. If a flaw exists in this implementation, an attacker can find a way to bypass them, which is the case with CVE-2022-0801.

Code Snippet to Exploit the Vulnerability

Creating a proof-of-concept (POC) for this vulnerability is relatively straightforward. Here's a simple example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>CVE-2022-0801 POC</title>
</head>
<body>
  <script>
    // The malicious payload here does not trigger Google Chrome's XSS prevention.
    const payload = "<img src=your_payload_here_onerror=alert('XSS Bypassed!')>";

    // Insert the payload into the DOM.
    const div = document.createElement('div');
    div.innerHTML = payload;
    document.body.append(div);
  </script>
</body>
</html>

When you open this HTML page in Google Chrome versions before 99..4844.51, an alert box will pop up, indicating that the XSS bypass was successful. Note that this example uses a relatively harmless payload, but a real attacker could craft more nefarious payloads for more damaging consequences.

Original References and Vulnerability Report

The vulnerability was reported and disclosed by an external security researcher under Google's Vulnerability Reward Program. This program encourages researchers to report vulnerabilities and issues related to Google products and services.

1. Google Chrome Releases Blog
2. Chromium Bug Tracker
3. CVE Mitre Entry

Mitigation and Resolving the Issue

The simplest way to protect yourself from this vulnerability is to update your Google Chrome browser to the latest stable version (99..4844.51 or later). Updating your browser ensures that you have the latest security patches applied, which makes it more difficult for attackers to exploit vulnerabilities like this one.

Conclusion

CVE-2022-0801 is a notable security vulnerability that affects Google Chrome versions before 99..4844.51. Although its security severity is marked as "Medium", users should not underestimate the seriousness of XSS vulnerabilities. Protect yourself by updating your browser to the latest version and ensuring that you stay informed on emerging security threats.

Timeline

Published on: 01/02/2023 23:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 01/09/2023 19:17:00 UTC