CVE-2019-13722 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Inappropriate implementation in WebRTC in Google Chrome prior to 79.0.3945.79 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2019-13722 represents a critical heap corruption flaw within the WebRTC implementation of Google Chrome browsers. This issue affected versions prior to 79.0.3945.79 and stems from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation processes within the browser's WebRTC subsystem. The vulnerability arises from insufficient validation of input parameters during WebRTC session establishment and media stream processing, creating opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate heap memory structures through carefully crafted web content.
WebRTC technology enables real-time communication directly within web browsers without requiring additional plugins or software installations. The implementation in question handles various multimedia protocols including audio and video streaming, data channel communication, and peer-to-peer connections. When processing malicious WebRTC signaling data or media streams, the browser's memory management functions fail to properly validate the size and content of allocated memory blocks, leading to potential buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions. These memory corruption vulnerabilities can be exploited by remote attackers who craft malicious HTML pages containing specially constructed WebRTC elements designed to trigger the vulnerable code paths.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple browser instability or crashes. Attackers can leverage heap corruption to execute arbitrary code within the browser context, potentially leading to complete system compromise. The remote exploitation capability means that users need only visit a malicious website to be vulnerable, making this attack vector particularly dangerous for widespread deployment. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-122, Heap-based Buffer Overflow, and CWE-476, NULL Pointer Dereference, as the memory corruption manifests through improper heap management and potential null pointer access during WebRTC processing. This flaw can be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007, Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, when exploited through malicious web content, and T1203, Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables remote code execution through browser-based attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2019-13722 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 79.0.3945.79 and later, which contain patched implementations of the WebRTC subsystem. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management protocols to ensure all affected Chrome installations are updated promptly. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious WebRTC-related traffic patterns, deploying browser security extensions that restrict WebRTC functionality in untrusted environments, and establishing network monitoring systems to identify potential exploitation attempts. Security teams should also consider implementing sandboxing measures and privilege separation techniques to limit the potential impact if exploitation occurs, while maintaining regular vulnerability assessments to identify similar issues in other browser components or web technologies.