CVE-2018-18352 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Service works could inappropriately gain access to cross origin audio in Media in Google Chrome prior to 71.0.3578.80 allowed a remote attacker to bypass same origin policy for audio content via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/01/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-origin resource sharing violation in Google Chrome's media handling subsystem that allowed remote attackers to access audio content from different origins without proper authorization. The flaw existed in Chrome versions prior to 71.0.3578.80 and specifically targeted the media service worker component responsible for processing audio content. The vulnerability stems from inadequate validation of cross-origin audio resources within the browser's security model, creating an avenue for attackers to bypass the fundamental same origin policy that protects web applications from unauthorized cross-origin data access.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves a service worker mechanism that incorrectly handled audio content from different origins, allowing crafted HTML pages to access audio streams that should have been restricted by the browser's security policies. This flaw operates at the intersection of web platform security and media processing, where the service worker's access controls failed to properly validate the origin of audio resources. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-284 Access Control Issues, specifically related to insufficient access control mechanisms for media resources, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter where attackers could potentially use this access to gather sensitive audio data from other origins.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure as it enables attackers to access audio content that may contain sensitive information or personal data from other websites. This could potentially allow for reconnaissance activities where attackers gather audio data from various origins, or in more sophisticated attacks, could be combined with other vulnerabilities to create more comprehensive exploitation chains. The vulnerability particularly affects web applications that rely on audio processing or streaming functionality, as it undermines the fundamental security boundaries that separate different origins within the browser environment.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate upgrading to Chrome version 71.0.3578.80 or later, which contains the necessary security patches to properly enforce cross-origin audio access controls. Organizations should also implement additional network-level security measures such as content security policy headers that restrict audio resource loading from untrusted origins, and monitor for suspicious audio content access patterns in web application logs. Browser vendors and security teams should consider implementing additional sandboxing mechanisms for service workers that process media content, and organizations should regularly audit their web applications for potential cross-origin resource access vulnerabilities. The fix implemented by Google involved strengthening the access control checks within the media service worker implementation to properly validate origin information before allowing access to audio resources from different origins, thereby restoring the intended same origin policy enforcement for media content.