CVE-2018-20069 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Failure to prevent navigation to top frame to data URLs in Navigation in Google Chrome on iOS prior to 71.0.3578.80 allowed a remote attacker to confuse the user about the origin of the current page via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/27/2020
This vulnerability resides in the navigation handling mechanism of Google Chrome on iOS platforms, specifically affecting versions prior to 71.0.3578.80. The flaw manifests in the browser's failure to properly prevent navigation to top frame data URLs during navigation operations, creating a significant security risk that directly impacts user trust and browser integrity. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-601 as URL Redirection to Untrusted Site, representing a critical weakness in web application security architecture.
The technical implementation of this flaw allows remote attackers to craft malicious HTML pages that can manipulate the browser's navigation behavior in ways that confuse users about the true origin of web content. When a user interacts with a specially crafted page, the browser fails to properly validate or restrict navigation to data URLs within the top frame context, enabling attackers to display content that appears to originate from a different source than the actual page being viewed. This manipulation occurs at the browser's core navigation stack level where data URLs are processed and validated against security policies.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables sophisticated social engineering attacks that can deceive users into trusting malicious content. Attackers can exploit this weakness to create convincing phishing scenarios where the browser's address bar displays legitimate-looking URLs while simultaneously loading malicious content from data URLs, effectively bypassing user security awareness and trust mechanisms. This behavior fundamentally undermines the browser's security model and user confidence in the authenticity of web content.
From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059.005 (Command and Scripting Interpreter: Visual Basic) and T1566 (Phishing) as it enables attackers to craft convincing phishing pages that can manipulate browser behavior to hide malicious intent. The vulnerability also relates to T1071.004 (Application Layer Protocol: DNS) in cases where attackers use DNS tunneling techniques combined with this navigation flaw to create more sophisticated attack vectors. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser security policies that enforce the latest Chrome versions and establish monitoring for suspicious navigation patterns.
The mitigation strategy involves immediate deployment of Chrome version 71.0.3578.80 or later, which includes the necessary patches to properly validate navigation to top frame data URLs. Additionally, security teams should implement browser hardening policies that restrict data URL handling and establish user education programs to recognize potential phishing attempts. Network security controls should monitor for unusual navigation patterns and data URL usage in web traffic. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content security policies that can detect and block malicious navigation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date browser software and highlights the need for continuous security monitoring to prevent exploitation of similar navigation-based vulnerabilities.