CVE-2022-2606 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 08/13/2022
Use after free in Managed devices API in Google Chrome prior to 104.0.5112.79 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to enable a specific Enterprise policy to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/30/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-2606 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the Managed Devices API component of Google Chrome browsers. This issue affects versions prior to 104.0.5112.79 and creates a significant security risk that could be exploited by remote attackers through social engineering techniques. The vulnerability specifically resides in the handling of enterprise policy configurations within the browser's managed devices framework, which is designed to support organizational deployment and management of chrome browsers across enterprise environments.
The technical flaw manifests as a use-after-free condition that occurs when the browser processes specific enterprise policies through the Managed Devices API. This API enables organizations to configure and enforce various browser settings and policies on managed devices, but the implementation contains a memory management error where freed memory blocks are still being accessed or referenced. The vulnerability is triggered when a user is convinced to enable a particular enterprise policy configuration, which then allows the attacker to craft a malicious HTML page that exploits the heap corruption vulnerability. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which is classified as a memory safety issue where program code continues to reference memory after it has been freed by the system.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple browser instability, as it can potentially allow remote code execution in the context of the browser's sandboxed environment. Attackers who successfully exploit this vulnerability could gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, manipulate browser behavior, or potentially escalate privileges within the compromised system. The attack vector requires user interaction through social engineering to enable the specific enterprise policy, making it somewhat more difficult to exploit than purely automated attacks, but still represents a significant risk in enterprise environments where users may be tricked into enabling potentially malicious policies. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566 for Phishing, as it requires both user interaction and the ability to execute malicious code through browser-based attacks.
The security implications of CVE-2022-2606 are particularly concerning for enterprise organizations that rely heavily on managed chrome deployments, as the vulnerability could be exploited to compromise entire networks if attackers can successfully manipulate users into enabling the targeted enterprise policies. Organizations with strict security policies and user education programs may be better protected against this specific attack vector, but the fundamental memory corruption issue remains a serious concern for all chrome users. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in browser components and highlights the risks associated with enterprise policy management systems that may not adequately validate user inputs or policy configurations. Remediation requires immediate patching of affected chrome versions and careful monitoring of enterprise policy deployments to prevent exploitation attempts.