CVE-2019-13662 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Insufficient policy enforcement in navigations in Google Chrome prior to 77.0.3865.75 allowed a remote attacker to bypass content security policy via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical bypass of Chrome's content security policy mechanisms that governed navigation behaviors in the browser's security model. The flaw existed in Google Chrome versions prior to 77.0.3865.75 and enabled remote attackers to circumvent security restrictions that should have prevented certain navigation patterns. The vulnerability specifically targeted the policy enforcement logic that governs how browsers handle navigation requests and redirects, creating an avenue for attackers to execute malicious actions that would normally be blocked by CSP directives. This represents a fundamental weakness in Chrome's security architecture where the browser failed to properly validate navigation policies even when they were explicitly defined by web applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stemmed from insufficient validation of navigation policies during the browser's processing of HTML content. When Chrome encountered crafted HTML pages containing specific navigation patterns, the browser's policy enforcement mechanisms failed to properly evaluate whether these navigation attempts adhered to the content security policy restrictions that were in place. This occurred because the browser's navigation handling code did not adequately validate the security context of navigation requests, allowing attackers to craft HTML pages that would bypass CSP protections through carefully constructed navigation elements. The flaw essentially created a gap in the browser's security model where navigation policies were not consistently enforced across all navigation scenarios, particularly those involving complex HTML structures that could trigger multiple navigation events.
The operational impact of this vulnerability was significant as it allowed attackers to perform actions that should have been blocked by content security policy directives. Remote attackers could craft malicious HTML pages that would bypass CSP restrictions designed to prevent navigation to untrusted domains or execution of unauthorized scripts. This could enable attackers to redirect users to malicious sites, inject unauthorized content, or bypass security controls that were intended to protect users from cross-site scripting attacks and other navigation-based threats. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous because it affected the core navigation behavior of the browser, which is fundamental to web browsing operations and could be exploited in various attack scenarios including phishing, credential theft, and malware delivery.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-693 which describes inadequate enforcement of security policies, specifically in the context of navigation and redirection controls. The flaw demonstrates how policy enforcement gaps can create attack vectors that bypass security mechanisms designed to protect users from malicious content. From an ATT&CK perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving web-based attacks and navigation manipulation that could be used to evade security controls. The vulnerability also relates to T1059 which covers execution through web-based attacks, and T1189 which addresses additional techniques for bypassing security controls through navigation manipulation. Organizations using affected Chrome versions were exposed to potential exploitation through various attack vectors that could leverage this policy enforcement failure to undermine the security protections that CSP mechanisms were designed to provide.
The recommended mitigation strategy involves immediate upgrade to Chrome version 77.0.3865.75 or later where the vulnerability has been patched. Organizations should also implement additional monitoring for suspicious navigation patterns and ensure that CSP policies are properly configured with appropriate directives to limit navigation behavior. Browser security teams should consider implementing more robust validation of navigation policies and ensure that all navigation events are properly evaluated against security policies before execution. Regular security assessments of browser configurations and CSP implementations should be conducted to identify potential gaps in security enforcement that could be exploited through similar navigation-based attacks. The patch addresses the underlying policy enforcement logic that was failing to properly validate navigation requests and ensures that CSP restrictions are consistently applied across all navigation scenarios.