CVE-2018-6049 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Incorrect security UI in permissions prompt in Google Chrome prior to 64.0.3282.119 allowed a remote attacker to spoof the origin to which permission is granted via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/03/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2018-6049 represents a critical flaw in Google Chrome's permission prompting mechanism that persisted across multiple versions prior to 64.0.3282.119. This issue falls under the category of user interface security weaknesses and specifically targets the browser's permission system that governs how websites request access to user resources such as location data, camera, microphone, and other sensitive capabilities. The vulnerability stems from insufficient validation of origin information within the permission prompt interface, creating a scenario where malicious actors can manipulate the displayed origin information to deceive users into granting permissions to unintended parties.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the trust model inherent in browser permission systems where users rely on visual cues to make informed decisions about granting website access. When Chrome displays permission prompts, it typically shows the domain name of the requesting website to help users understand which entity is making the request. However, the flaw allowed attackers to craft HTML pages that could manipulate this displayed information, effectively spoofing the origin domain. This manipulation occurred through specific interactions with the browser's rendering engine and permission handling components, leveraging the fact that the UI elements responsible for displaying origin information were not adequately protected against tampering.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple deception as it fundamentally undermines user trust in the permission system and creates opportunities for sophisticated phishing attacks. Attackers could craft malicious web pages that appear to originate from legitimate domains such as banking institutions, social media platforms, or other trusted services, leading users to unknowingly grant permissions to malicious actors. This vulnerability particularly affects sensitive permission types including geolocation, camera, and microphone access, which could result in significant privacy breaches and potential data exfiltration. The attack vector requires no local privileges and can be executed through standard web browsing, making it highly accessible to remote threat actors and increasing the potential attack surface significantly.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-693, which addresses protection mechanism failures in security UI components, and demonstrates how improper handling of user interface elements can create security risks. The issue also maps to ATT&CK technique T1056.001, which covers input injection attacks, specifically targeting the browser's permission prompting interface. The flaw represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and inadequate security controls in UI components, where the visual representation of security information does not accurately reflect the underlying system behavior. Organizations and users affected by this vulnerability faced increased risk of privilege escalation attacks, data theft, and privacy violations, particularly in environments where users regularly interact with web applications that request sensitive permissions. The remediation required updating Chrome to version 64.0.3282.119 or later, which implemented proper validation mechanisms to prevent origin spoofing in permission prompts and restored the integrity of the browser's security UI components.
The broader implications of CVE-2018-6049 highlight the critical importance of maintaining robust security controls in user interface elements, particularly those that serve as security decision points for end users. This vulnerability serves as a reminder that even seemingly benign UI components can represent significant attack surfaces when not properly secured against manipulation. Security researchers and organizations should consider this issue when evaluating browser security configurations and user interface design practices, emphasizing the need for comprehensive security testing of all UI components that handle security-relevant information. The vulnerability also underscores the necessity of regular security updates and the importance of keeping browser software current to protect against known exploits that could compromise user privacy and system integrity.