CVE-2019-13708 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Inappropriate implementation in navigation in Google Chrome on iOS prior to 78.0.3904.70 allowed a remote attacker to spoof the contents of the Omnibox (URL bar) via a crafted HTML page.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/27/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical navigation spoofing flaw in Google Chrome's iOS implementation that exploited a weakness in how the browser handled URL display during navigation operations. The issue specifically affected Chrome versions prior to 78.0.3904.70 and enabled remote attackers to manipulate the Omnibox display through carefully crafted HTML content. The vulnerability stemmed from an inadequate validation mechanism that failed to properly sanitize or verify navigation contexts, allowing malicious actors to present misleading URL information to users.
The technical implementation flaw occurred within Chrome's iOS navigation subsystem where the browser's rendering engine did not sufficiently validate the authenticity of URL information during page transitions. Attackers could construct HTML pages that would cause the Omnibox to display deceptive content while the actual navigation target remained unchanged. This created a scenario where users might be tricked into believing they were visiting a legitimate website when in fact they were navigating to a malicious destination. The vulnerability was particularly concerning because it directly compromised user trust in the browser's navigation interface, which is a fundamental security mechanism designed to prevent phishing attacks and other social engineering exploits.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly undermined user security by enabling sophisticated phishing attacks that could bypass traditional URL verification mechanisms. Users operating Chrome on iOS devices were at risk of being deceived into entering sensitive information on fraudulent websites that appeared legitimate through the spoofed Omnibox display. The attack vector required only a malicious website to be visited, making it particularly dangerous as users could be compromised without any explicit interaction beyond normal browsing behavior. Security professionals noted that this vulnerability could be leveraged in conjunction with other attack vectors to create more sophisticated social engineering campaigns that would be difficult for users to detect.
The flaw aligns with CWE-601 URL Redirection to Untrusted Site vulnerability pattern, specifically targeting the trust relationship between the browser user interface and the underlying navigation system. This vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1566.001 for credential access through phishing, as it enabled attackers to create more convincing phishing scenarios. The implementation weakness was particularly dangerous because it occurred at the user interface level rather than at the network or protocol level, making it more difficult to detect through traditional network monitoring approaches. Organizations with iOS devices in their environment needed to ensure immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to prevent exploitation. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining consistent security practices across all browser components and demonstrated how UI-level flaws could have significant security implications for user trust and data protection. Mitigation strategies focused primarily on updating to patched Chrome versions, but security teams also recommended user education about verifying URL authenticity and implementing additional monitoring for suspicious navigation patterns.