A crucial Use After Free (UAF) vulnerability has been discovered in Google Chrome, which could potentially be exploited by remote attackers via heap corruption. This high-severity security issue (CVE-2022-3887) specifically affects Web Workers in Chrome versions before 107..5304.106. By leveraging this vulnerability, an attacker could craft a malicious HTML page that takes advantage of the heap corruption, leading to a possible compromise of the target system.

Code Snippet

An example code snippet demonstrating the use of Web Workers and how the UAF vulnerability could be exploited is as follows:

// Creating a Web Worker
const worker = new Worker('worker.js');

worker.onmessage = function(event) {
  // Handling the message from the worker
  console.log('Message received from the worker:', event.data);
  if (event.data === 'Vulnerable') {
    // Trigger the UAF vulnerability
    exploitUAF();
  }
};

function exploitUAF() {
  // Exploiting the UAF vulnerability
  /* ... */
}

Original References

1. Google Chrome Releases - Stable Channel Update for Desktop (v107..5304.106): https://chromereleases.googleblog.com/2023/02/stable-channel-update-for-desktop.html
2. Chromium Issue Tracker - CVE-2022-3887: https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=1374683
3. MITRE CVE Database - CVE-2022-3887: https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2022-3887
4. NVD - CVE-2022-3887 Detail: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2022-3887

Set up an appropriate communication channel with the worker.

3. Incorporate a specific trigger, such as a particular user action or a specific message from the worker, to initiate the actual exploit function for the UAF vulnerability.
4. Use a heap spray technique or other heap manipulation strategy to ensure that the freed memory is reallocated with attacker-controlled data.
5. Take advantage of the corrupted heap to execute arbitrary code or perform other malicious activities, such as bypassing security protections, escalating privileges, or exfiltrating data.

Mitigation

To protect your system from this high-severity security issue, update your Google Chrome browser to version 107..5304.106 or later. As a best-practice measure, ensure that you apply all important security patches and updates regularly, particularly for widely-used software like web browsers.

In addition, it is crucial to exercise caution when visiting untrusted websites, opening links from unknown sources, or interacting with suspicious content online. Understanding the potential risks associated with this vulnerability and other similar threats can help users make more informed decisions that prioritize the security of their systems and data.

Timeline

Published on: 11/09/2022 04:15:00 UTC
Last modified on: 11/14/2022 15:15:00 UTC