CVE-2022-0113 in Edge
Summary
by MITRE • 02/12/2022
Inappropriate implementation in Blink in Google Chrome prior to 97.0.4692.71 allowed a remote attacker to leak cross-origin data via a crafted HTML page.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/12/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) bypass flaw in the Blink rendering engine that powers Google Chrome browsers. The issue stems from an inadequate implementation of security controls that should prevent unauthorized data access between different origins, specifically allowing malicious actors to extract sensitive information from other domains through carefully constructed web pages. The vulnerability affects Chrome versions prior to 97.0.4692.71, indicating a window of exposure where users were susceptible to cross-origin data leakage attacks. The flaw manifests when a remote attacker crafts a specific HTML page that exploits the rendering engine's insufficient validation mechanisms, enabling unauthorized access to resources that should remain isolated between different security domains.
The technical nature of this vulnerability falls under the category of cross-origin information disclosure, where the Blink engine fails to properly enforce same-origin policies that are fundamental to web security architecture. This type of flaw typically involves bypassing the browser's security sandbox mechanisms that separate different websites to prevent malicious code from accessing data from other origins. The vulnerability could potentially allow attackers to read cookies, access local storage, or retrieve other sensitive data that should be restricted to its originating domain. This weakness directly violates the core principle of web security where each origin maintains its own isolated execution environment, and represents a significant failure in the browser's security model implementation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple data leakage, as it could enable more sophisticated attacks such as session hijacking, credential theft, or corporate data exfiltration when users visit malicious websites. Attackers could construct pages that leverage the vulnerability to gather information from multiple origins simultaneously, potentially compromising user accounts across different services or accessing sensitive corporate data through browser-based attacks. The remote nature of this exploit means that users could be compromised simply by visiting a malicious website, without requiring any additional user interaction or privilege escalation. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or when users browse untrusted websites, as the attack can occur entirely within the browser without requiring local system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability involve immediate browser updates to versions 97.0.4692.71 and later, which contain the necessary patches to address the CORS enforcement mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update management policies to ensure all users have the latest security patches installed. Additional defensive measures include deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious cross-origin requests, implementing strict content security policies that limit cross-origin resource access, and educating users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites. From a compliance perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-200, which addresses improper information exposure, and maps to ATT&CK technique T1566 for social engineering attacks that leverage browser vulnerabilities. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect unusual cross-origin data access patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, and security teams should maintain awareness of similar vulnerabilities in other browser engines that might present comparable risks.