CVE-2014-7899 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 38.0.2125.101 allows remote attackers to spoof the address bar by placing a blob: substring at the beginning of the URL, followed by the original URI scheme and a long username string.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7899 represents a significant spoofing weakness in Google Chrome browsers prior to version 38.0.2125.101 that exploits the browser's handling of blob URLs and address bar display mechanisms. This flaw allows remote attackers to manipulate the visual representation of web addresses in the browser's address bar, creating a deceptive user experience that could facilitate phishing attacks and other social engineering exploits.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability leverages the specific structure of blob URLs combined with the browser's URL parsing behavior. Attackers can construct malicious URLs that begin with the blob: protocol identifier followed by the original URI scheme and an extended username string. The browser's address bar rendering engine fails to properly sanitize or validate this constructed URL structure, allowing the malicious content to be displayed in a way that mimics legitimate web addresses. This manipulation occurs at the presentation layer rather than the actual navigation behavior, making it particularly insidious as users may not realize they are viewing a fraudulent page despite the browser appearing to navigate normally.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple visual deception to potentially enable sophisticated phishing campaigns that can bypass traditional security measures. Users interacting with malicious websites constructed using this technique may be misled into believing they are visiting legitimate domains, particularly when the spoofed address bar displays a convincing approximation of a trusted website's URL structure. The vulnerability's exploitation capability increases when combined with other social engineering techniques, as the visual authenticity of the address bar can significantly influence user trust and decision-making processes during web browsing activities.
This vulnerability maps to CWE-601 and CWE-79 in the Common Weakness Enumeration catalog, specifically addressing URL redirection and cross-site scripting weaknesses in web browser implementations. The attack pattern aligns with techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under the T1056 category for Input Injection and T1566 for Phishing, demonstrating how browser-based vulnerabilities can be leveraged to create deceptive user experiences that bypass traditional security controls. The flaw represents a failure in the browser's security model to properly validate URL structures before displaying them in the address bar, creating a trust boundary violation that undermines user confidence in the authenticity of web addresses.
The recommended mitigations for CVE-2014-7899 include immediate deployment of Google Chrome version 38.0.2125.101 or later, which implements proper URL validation and sanitization for blob URL handling. Organizations should also implement browser hardening policies that restrict the use of blob URLs in potentially risky contexts and establish user education programs to increase awareness of address bar deception techniques. Network administrators may consider implementing additional URL filtering and content inspection solutions that can detect and block malicious URL patterns, though the most effective defense remains the timely application of vendor security patches and the maintenance of up-to-date browser software across all endpoints.