CVE-2019-13694 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use after free in WebRTC in Google Chrome prior to 77.0.3865.120 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-13694 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the WebRTC implementation of Google Chrome browsers. This issue affects versions prior to 77.0.3865.120 and constitutes a severe security weakness that could enable remote code execution through malicious web content. The flaw manifests in the handling of WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) components, which are essential for browser-based real-time communication features including video conferencing, voice calling, and peer-to-peer data transfer. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management practices where freed memory blocks are still referenced by subsequent operations, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate heap structures and potentially execute arbitrary code.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting a malicious HTML page that triggers specific WebRTC operations leading to memory deallocation followed by subsequent access to the freed memory region. This use-after-free condition occurs when the WebRTC implementation fails to properly manage object lifecycles, particularly in scenarios involving media stream handling and peer connection establishment. Attackers can leverage this flaw by enticing victims to visit a compromised website that contains specially crafted JavaScript code designed to trigger the vulnerable WebRTC code path. The heap corruption resulting from this flaw can be exploited to overwrite critical memory locations, potentially allowing attackers to redirect program execution flow or inject malicious payloads. This type of vulnerability directly maps to CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software implementations.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-13694 extends beyond simple browser compromise, as it provides attackers with a potential vector for more sophisticated attacks within the victim's browser environment. Once successfully exploited, the vulnerability could enable attackers to bypass security restrictions, access sensitive user data, monitor network communications, or establish persistent access through browser-based backdoors. The remote nature of the attack means that victims need only visit a malicious website to be compromised, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for widespread exploitation. The WebRTC functionality is commonly used in legitimate business and personal applications, which increases the attack surface and makes the vulnerability more attractive to threat actors. This flaw aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript execution and T1566 for spearphishing with a link, as it represents a common entry point for initial compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 77.0.3865.120 or later where the memory management issues have been addressed through proper object lifecycle handling. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected Chrome installations are updated promptly. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls, deploying content security policies, and utilizing browser hardening techniques such as disabling unnecessary WebRTC features when not required. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious WebRTC traffic patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms and privilege separation to limit the potential damage from successful exploitation attempts. The fix implemented by Google likely involved strengthening memory management within the WebRTC component and ensuring proper reference counting or smart pointer implementations to prevent premature deallocation of objects that might still be in use.