CVE-2019-5833 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Incorrect dialog box scoping in browser in Google Chrome on Android prior to 75.0.3770.80 allowed a remote attacker to display misleading security UI via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/24/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2019-5833 represents a critical user interface security flaw in Google Chrome for Android that exploited improper dialog box scoping mechanisms. This issue affected versions prior to Chrome 75.0.3770.80 and allowed remote attackers to manipulate the browser's security user interface in ways that could deceive users into believing they were interacting with legitimate security prompts when they were actually encountering maliciously crafted content. The flaw specifically targeted the way Chrome handled dialog box rendering and scoping within the browser environment, creating an opportunity for attackers to exploit user trust in security warnings and prompts.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involved manipulating HTML content to exploit the browser's dialog box scoping behavior, which is typically designed to prevent cross-site scripting attacks by properly isolating security prompts. When Chrome rendered security UI elements, the improper scoping allowed attacker-controlled content to appear within the security dialog context, effectively bypassing the normal security boundaries that should protect users from deceptive interfaces. This flaw was categorized under CWE-693, which deals with protection mechanism failures, specifically in the realm of user interface security controls. The vulnerability exploited the browser's trust model where users naturally expect security warnings to be displayed in isolated contexts that cannot be manipulated by malicious web content.
The operational impact of CVE-2019-5833 was significant as it enabled man-in-the-middle attacks and phishing attempts that could appear highly convincing to users. Attackers could craft HTML pages that displayed fake security warnings or prompts, potentially tricking users into entering sensitive information or performing actions they would not normally undertake. This type of vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.006 for HTML/JavaScript and T1566 for phishing campaigns, as it provided a mechanism for attackers to create more convincing social engineering attacks. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous in mobile environments where users may be less vigilant about security warnings and where the smaller screen size could make distinguishing between legitimate and malicious UI elements more difficult.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate browser updates to versions 75.0.3770.80 and later, which corrected the dialog box scoping behavior by implementing proper isolation mechanisms for security UI elements. Organizations should have implemented comprehensive browser update policies to ensure all Android devices running Chrome were patched promptly. Additional protective measures included user education about the importance of verifying security warnings, implementing network monitoring to detect suspicious HTML content, and deploying web application firewalls that could identify and block malicious HTML constructs designed to exploit UI scoping issues. The fix implemented by Google addressed the root cause by strengthening the security boundaries around dialog box rendering, ensuring that security prompts could not be manipulated by external HTML content. This vulnerability highlighted the importance of proper UI sandboxing and reinforced the need for continuous security auditing of user interface components that handle security-sensitive operations, particularly in mobile browser environments where user interaction patterns differ significantly from desktop contexts.