CVE-2019-13746 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Insufficient policy enforcement in Omnibox in Google Chrome prior to 79.0.3945.79 allowed a remote attacker to spoof the contents of the Omnibox (URL bar) via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2024
The vulnerability CVE-2019-13746 represents a critical security flaw in Google Chrome's Omnibox implementation that persisted through versions prior to 79.0.3945.79. This issue falls under the category of insufficient policy enforcement, specifically affecting the browser's user interface component responsible for displaying and handling URL information. The vulnerability stems from the browser's inadequate validation mechanisms that should have prevented malicious content from manipulating the visual representation of web addresses in the address bar.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a crafted HTML page that leverages specific rendering behaviors within Chrome's Omnibox to create a deceptive user experience. Attackers can manipulate the visual display of the address bar to show misleading information, potentially causing users to believe they are visiting a legitimate website when they are actually interacting with a malicious page. This manipulation exploits the gap between how Chrome renders URL information for display purposes and how it enforces security policies during page loading and rendering operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to user security and trust in the browser's interface. Users may be deceived into entering sensitive information on fraudulent websites, as the address bar display does not accurately reflect the actual destination of their navigation. The attack vector enables sophisticated phishing campaigns where malicious actors can create convincing fake interfaces that bypass traditional security indicators. This type of vulnerability directly undermines the fundamental security principle of user interface integrity, which is essential for maintaining user confidence in web navigation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-693, which addresses inadequate protection mechanisms, and relates to ATT&CK technique T1056.001 for input validation and T1557.001 for client-side attacks. The flaw demonstrates how browser interface elements can become attack surfaces when proper validation and enforcement policies are not implemented. The issue represents a failure in Chrome's defense-in-depth approach, where the user interface should act as a final security checkpoint to prevent deception attacks. This vulnerability requires immediate patching and represents a critical threat to user security when exploited in real-world scenarios.
Organizations and individual users should prioritize updating to Chrome version 79.0.3945.79 or later to mitigate this vulnerability. Security teams should monitor for potential exploitation attempts and implement additional browser hardening measures. The remediation process involves updating the browser software, which addresses the underlying policy enforcement gaps in the Omnibox rendering system. This vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining current browser versions and implementing comprehensive security monitoring to detect and respond to similar interface-based attacks.