Google Chrome is the world’s most popular web browser. Millions of people trust it for everything online. But sometimes, a single overlooked detail can put everyone at risk. One such case was CVE-2022-1492 — a data validation mistake in the Chrome “Blink Editing” component that left users vulnerable until Chrome version 101..4951.41.

Timeline and official references

Let's break it down in simple terms so anyone can understand what happened and why it matters.

What Is CVE-2022-1492?

CVE-2022-1492 is a vulnerability in Google Chrome’s Blink Editing engine. Blink is the part of Chrome that renders web pages. “Editing” here refers to web features like “contenteditable”, which let users type and edit rich content directly in their browser (think: WYSIWYG editors, text boxes).

The problem: Chrome didn't properly validate data when editing content using contenteditable. A malicious actor could use a specially crafted HTML page to inject arbitrary JavaScript or HTML, leading to cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.

What’s “Insufficient Data Validation”?

Data validation refers to ensuring that the data coming into a system is safe, clean, and expected. “Insufficient data validation” means Chrome was too trusting about the HTML content a user could edit or paste. This allowed attackers to sneak in unexpected content—li ke scripts—from outside.

How Could It Be Exploited?

A remote attacker could create a web page that tricks a victim into editing or pasting malicious content into a vulnerable contenteditable area. Because Chrome failed to clean up certain HTML tags and attributes, malicious scripts could be injected and run in the context of the website, stealing cookies, credentials, or even redirecting the user.

The page has a contenteditable element (like a fake chat box).

3. The page executes JavaScript to automatically insert malicious HTML when the user performs a paste operation.

Attacker’s HTML Page

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <title>Fake Editor - Exploit Demo</title>
</head>
<body>
  <h2>Edit this text:</h2>
  <div id="editor" contenteditable="true" style="border:1px solid #ccc; width:400px; min-height:100px;">
    Try pasting something here!
  </div>
  <script>
    // Listen for 'paste' event
    document.getElementById('editor').addEventListener('paste', function(e) {
      e.preventDefault();
      // Insert malicious script
      document.execCommand('insertHTML', false, &lt;img src=&quot;x&quot; onerror=&quot;alert(document.cookie)&quot;&gt;);
    });
  </script>
</body>
</html>

Explanation:
- The attacker’s script intercepts the paste event and inserts an <img> tag with an onerror handler.

Due to the Chrome bug, this script is not removed or sanitized.

- When the browser tries (and fails) to load the image, it instead runs the script: alert(document.cookie).

Technical Details

The core issue was with how Chrome handled certain inline event handlers and HTML elements that could execute scripts. If a user pasted or edited untrusted content, these scripts could slip through validation and become active parts of the page’s DOM.

In the wild

No major in-the-wild exploits were recorded, but the potential for XSS made this very serious. XSS is one of the most exploited web vulnerabilities because it’s easy to automate and can be used for phishing, stealing information, or hijacking user sessions.

How Was It Fixed?

The bug was patched in Chrome version 101..4951.41.

Fix Details:
The Chrome team updated the data validation logic in the Blink Editing component, improving sanitization to block unauthorized scripts, event handlers, and unsafe HTML tags from being injected or executed.

Recommendation:
If you’re using an older version of Chrome (before 101..4951.41, released April 2022), update immediately to stay safe.

Official References

- Google Chrome Release Notes (April 26, 2022)
- NIST National Vulnerability Database Entry for CVE-2022-1492
- Chromium Bug Tracker: 1318652 *(may require login for details)*
- Vulnerability Report by Google

Conclusion

CVE-2022-1492 is a classic example of how even small oversights in data validation can become severe security headaches in modern browsers. The Chrome team responded quickly, but the episode is a reminder for developers everywhere: always sanitize user input and test for edge cases.

For users, the fix is simple — always keep your browser up to date. For devs, be vigilant about data validation and understand how contenteditable and similar features can be abused.

*Stay safe and keep your software updated!*

*This deep dive was prepared exclusively for you. Please visit the official references to learn more! If you have questions, feel free to ask in the comments.*

Timeline

Published on: 07/26/2022 22:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 08/15/2022 11:16:00 UTC