CVE-2008-7294 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 4.0.211.0 cannot properly restrict modifications to cookies established in HTTPS sessions, which allows man-in-the-middle attackers to overwrite or delete arbitrary cookies via a Set-Cookie header in an HTTP response, related to lack of the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) includeSubDomains feature, aka a "cookie forcing" issue.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/20/2017
This vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 4.0.211.0 that fundamentally undermines the integrity of HTTPS session management. The issue stems from Chrome's insufficient implementation of HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) mechanisms, specifically the missing includeSubDomains directive that should prevent downgrade attacks and cookie manipulation. The vulnerability allows attackers positioned in man-in-the-middle positions to exploit the trust relationship between browsers and web servers, enabling them to inject malicious Set-Cookie headers into HTTP responses that can overwrite or delete legitimate cookies established during HTTPS sessions.
The technical exploitation occurs when an attacker intercepts network traffic between a user and a web server, particularly targeting HTTPS sites that should enforce strict transport security. Without proper HSTS includeSubDomains implementation, Chrome fails to recognize that cookies set during secure HTTPS sessions should remain protected even when subsequent requests are made over unencrypted HTTP connections. This creates a window of opportunity for attackers to manipulate session state through crafted HTTP responses that contain malicious Set-Cookie headers, effectively allowing them to force arbitrary cookie modifications that persist across user sessions.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables sophisticated session hijacking attacks where attackers can completely compromise user authentication states and maintain persistent access to web applications. The cookie forcing mechanism allows for complete session takeover scenarios where attackers can delete authentication cookies, inject malicious session identifiers, or modify existing cookies to gain unauthorized access to protected resources. This vulnerability directly maps to CWE-310 and CWE-312 categories related to cryptographic issues and insecure data handling, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566 for credential access through network sniffing and man-in-the-middle attacks.
The mitigation strategy requires immediate browser updates to versions implementing proper HSTS includeSubDomains support, combined with server-side configuration improvements that enforce strict transport security policies. Organizations should implement comprehensive monitoring for unauthorized cookie modifications and establish network-level controls to detect and prevent man-in-the-middle attacks. Additionally, users must be educated about the importance of maintaining secure connections and avoiding untrusted networks when accessing sensitive applications, as this vulnerability particularly affects web applications that rely heavily on secure session management and authentication mechanisms.