CVE-2019-13690 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/25/2023
Inappropriate implementation in OS in Google Chrome on ChromeOS prior to 75.0.3770.80 allowed a remote attacker to perform OS-level privilege escalation via a malicious file. (Chromium security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/20/2023
This vulnerability represents a critical privilege escalation flaw in Google ChromeOS that emerged from an inappropriate implementation within the operating system's handling of malicious files. The vulnerability affected ChromeOS versions prior to 75.0.3770.80 and allowed remote attackers to gain OS-level privileges through the manipulation of specially crafted files. The technical nature of this flaw stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within ChromeOS's file processing pipeline, creating an avenue for malicious actors to elevate their privileges beyond the intended security boundaries of the browser environment.
The exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when a remote attacker crafts a malicious file that, when processed by ChromeOS, triggers an improper handling mechanism that grants elevated privileges to the executing code. This represents a classic privilege escalation vector where the attacker leverages a flaw in the operating system's privilege management to move from a restricted user context to full system-level access. The Chromium security severity classification of High indicates the significant risk this vulnerability posed to system integrity and user data protection. This type of vulnerability aligns with CWE-269: "Improper Privilege Management" and demonstrates how insufficient access control mechanisms can lead to complete system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides attackers with complete control over the affected ChromeOS device. Once exploited, the malicious actor could access sensitive user data, modify system files, install additional malware, and potentially use the compromised device as a pivot point for further attacks within a network. The remote nature of the attack means that users could be compromised without any direct interaction with malicious content, making this particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where ChromeOS devices are commonly deployed. The vulnerability's presence in the operating system rather than the browser itself indicates a fundamental flaw in ChromeOS's security architecture that affected all applications running on the platform.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate system updates to ChromeOS version 75.0.3770.80 or later, which contained the necessary patches to address the privilege escalation mechanism. Organizations should have implemented comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all ChromeOS devices were updated promptly. Security monitoring should have been enhanced to detect unusual file processing activities that might indicate exploitation attempts. Additionally, network segmentation and access controls should have been reviewed to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation. The vulnerability's classification under ATT&CK technique T1068: "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date systems and implementing proper security controls to prevent such attacks from succeeding. Organizations should have also considered implementing additional security layers such as application whitelisting and behavioral monitoring to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.