CVE-2017-5065 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Lack of an appropriate action on page navigation in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 58.0.3029.81 for Windows and Mac allowed a remote attacker to potentially confuse a user into making an incorrect security decision via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/17/2020
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5065 resides within the Blink rendering engine component of Google Chrome, affecting versions prior to 58.0.3029.81 on both Windows and Mac platforms. This security flaw represents a critical concern for user interface security and could potentially enable sophisticated social engineering attacks. The vulnerability specifically relates to how the browser handles page navigation events and fails to properly validate or alert users about certain navigation behaviors that could lead to unintended consequences. The issue stems from insufficient user interface controls that should normally prevent or warn users about potentially dangerous navigation sequences.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the Blink engine's handling of page transition events where malicious actors can craft HTML pages that manipulate the browser's navigation flow in ways that confuse users about their actual location or the security context of their current browsing session. This flaw operates at the user interface level rather than at the core browser engine, making it particularly insidious as it exploits user trust in familiar browser behaviors. The vulnerability allows attackers to potentially manipulate the browser's navigation bar, address display, or other visual indicators that users rely upon to make informed security decisions about their online activities.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates a significant risk for users who may be tricked into believing they are on a legitimate website when they are actually on a malicious page. The confusion can lead to users unknowingly entering sensitive information, clicking on malicious links, or making security decisions that compromise their systems. The attack vector relies heavily on social engineering elements where the malicious HTML page appears to be a legitimate website but performs unexpected navigation actions that mislead the user. This type of attack could be particularly effective in phishing campaigns where attackers want to maintain user trust while executing malicious activities.
The vulnerability aligns with several cybersecurity frameworks including CWE-691, which addresses inadequate control flow, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1059 where adversaries use malicious HTML pages to execute deceptive navigation behaviors. The flaw demonstrates a critical gap in user interface security validation where the browser fails to properly implement security warnings or controls that should alert users to potentially dangerous navigation sequences. This represents a failure in the principle of least privilege where the browser should not allow potentially confusing navigation behaviors without user confirmation or explicit warnings. Organizations should prioritize patching this vulnerability immediately and implement additional security measures such as browser security policies, user education programs, and monitoring for suspicious navigation patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of Chrome version 58.0.3029.81 or later which contains the necessary fixes for this vulnerability. Security administrators should also consider implementing browser security extensions, monitoring for suspicious HTML content, and conducting user awareness training about navigation confusion attacks. The fix addresses the underlying issue by implementing proper validation of navigation events and ensuring that users receive appropriate warnings when encountering potentially dangerous page transition scenarios. Organizations should also review their existing security policies to ensure they account for user interface security concerns and implement controls that prevent or detect suspicious navigation behaviors that could indicate exploitation of similar vulnerabilities.