CVE-2016-1615 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
The Omnibox implementation in Google Chrome before 48.0.2564.82 allows remote attackers to spoof a document s origin via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1615 represents a critical security flaw within Google Chrome's Omnibox implementation that existed prior to version 48.0.2564.82. This issue falls under the category of user interface deception attacks where remote adversaries could manipulate the browser's address bar display to misleadingly represent the origin of web documents. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the Omnibox component responsible for displaying and handling URL information in the browser's user interface. Attackers exploited unspecified vectors to manipulate how the browser presented origin information, potentially enabling phishing attacks and other social engineering exploits that could trick users into believing they were visiting legitimate websites when they were actually interacting with malicious content.
The technical nature of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of how Chrome's Omnibox renders origin information, which is a fundamental aspect of web browser security architecture. This flaw operates at the intersection of user interface security and web navigation trust models, where the browser's visual representation of website origins becomes compromised. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple visual deception to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks such as cross-site scripting attempts, credential theft, and man-in-the-middle exploitation scenarios. From a cybersecurity perspective, this represents a failure in the browser's trust validation mechanisms that should ensure users can reliably identify the true source of web content they are interacting with. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining consistent security boundaries between browser components and user interface elements, as the Omnibox serves as a primary trust indicator for users navigating the web.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1615 is significant for users of affected Chrome versions, as it undermines fundamental web security assumptions that users rely upon when browsing the internet. Users could be deceived into trusting malicious websites that appear to display legitimate origins, potentially leading to data breaches, credential compromise, and other security incidents. This vulnerability specifically affects the browser's ability to maintain clear separation between the user interface presentation and the actual security context of web content. The attack surface encompasses various web interaction scenarios where users might be tricked into submitting sensitive information or executing malicious code. Security researchers categorize this type of vulnerability under CWE-602, which addresses client-side input validation issues that can lead to user interface manipulation. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1056.001, which covers input injection attacks that manipulate user interfaces to deceive users into performing unintended actions.
Organizations and individuals should immediately update to Chrome version 48.0.2564.82 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as no effective workarounds exist for the underlying implementation flaw. Browser vendors should implement more robust validation mechanisms for user interface elements that display origin information, ensuring that such representations cannot be easily manipulated by remote attackers. Security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts and consider implementing additional network-level protections such as content filtering and user behavior analytics to detect anomalous browsing patterns that might indicate successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser software and implementing comprehensive security monitoring strategies that can detect and respond to user interface manipulation attacks. Regular security assessments should include evaluation of browser component interactions and trust model implementations to identify potential avenues for similar vulnerabilities that could compromise user security and trust in web browsing environments.