CVE-2017-5035 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome prior to 57.0.2987.98 for Windows and Mac had a race condition, which could cause Chrome to display incorrect certificate information for a site.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/02/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5035 represents a critical race condition flaw within Google Chrome versions prior to 57.0.2987.98 on both Windows and Mac operating systems. This issue stems from improper handling of certificate validation processes during web page loading, creating a window where malicious actors could potentially exploit the timing discrepancy to manipulate or deceive users about the authenticity of websites they are visiting. The race condition occurs when multiple threads or processes attempt to access and validate certificate information simultaneously, leading to inconsistent state management and potential data corruption during the validation sequence.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves Chrome's certificate validation subsystem where concurrent access to certificate stores and validation caches creates opportunities for inconsistent data retrieval. When multiple threads attempt to validate certificates for the same domain or certificate chain, the race condition allows one thread to read partially updated or corrupted certificate data while another thread is performing updates. This flaw specifically impacts the certificate display mechanism where Chrome's user interface may present outdated or incorrect certificate information, potentially showing certificates from previous connections or cached values rather than the currently active connection's actual certificate. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-362, which addresses race conditions in software systems where multiple threads or processes access shared resources without proper synchronization mechanisms.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly undermines user trust and security expectations in web browsing environments. Users may be deceived into believing they are connected to legitimate websites when they are actually interacting with man-in-the-middle attacks or compromised servers. The attack vector typically involves timing-based exploits where attackers manipulate network conditions to trigger the race condition during certificate validation, potentially causing Chrome to display forged certificate information that appears legitimate to users. This creates a substantial risk for credential theft, data interception, and phishing attacks where users might unknowingly provide sensitive information to malicious sites that appear to have valid certificates.
The exploitation of CVE-2017-5035 aligns with several tactics described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly under the initial access and credential access domains. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to establish false trust relationships with victims, potentially enabling more sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking or data exfiltration. The vulnerability's impact is exacerbated in enterprise environments where users may be browsing sensitive corporate websites or handling confidential data, making the potential for business disruption and data compromise significant. Network security professionals should consider this vulnerability when analyzing web traffic patterns and certificate validation failures, as it represents a fundamental flaw in browser security architecture that affects the core trust mechanisms of web communications.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve immediate patching of Chrome installations to version 57.0.2987.98 or later, which implements proper synchronization mechanisms to prevent the race condition from occurring. Organizations should also implement network monitoring solutions that can detect unusual certificate validation patterns or certificate mismatches that might indicate exploitation attempts. Browser security policies should include regular updates and security assessments to ensure that all client systems maintain current security patches. Additional defensive measures include implementing certificate pinning for critical applications, deploying certificate transparency monitoring, and establishing user education programs about recognizing potentially compromised web connections. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper thread synchronization in security-critical applications and highlights the necessity of thorough testing for race conditions in concurrent systems.