CVE-2022-2859 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/26/2022
Use after free in Chrome OS Shell in Google Chrome prior to 104.0.5112.101 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to engage in specific UI interactions to potentially exploit heap corruption via specific UI interactions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-2859 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the Chrome OS Shell component of Google Chrome. This issue affects versions prior to 104.0.5112.101 and demonstrates a classic heap corruption vulnerability that can be exploited through specific user interactions. The vulnerability resides in the Chrome OS Shell environment which serves as the core user interface layer for Chrome OS devices, making it a particularly concerning target for attackers seeking to compromise these systems.
The technical exploitation of this use-after-free vulnerability occurs when the Chrome OS Shell processes specific UI interactions that cause memory to be freed while still being referenced by other components. This memory management error creates a scenario where an attacker can manipulate the system to execute arbitrary code by leveraging the freed memory space. The flaw specifically manifests during the handling of user interface elements within the Chrome OS environment, where improper memory deallocation followed by subsequent access creates the conditions for heap corruption. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-416 which categorizes use-after-free conditions as a fundamental memory safety issue that can lead to arbitrary code execution.
The operational impact of CVE-2022-2859 extends beyond simple privilege escalation as it enables remote code execution capabilities that can be leveraged by attackers who can convince users to perform specific UI interactions. The attack vector requires social engineering to trick users into interacting with malicious UI elements, but once successful, the vulnerability can provide attackers with complete system compromise. This represents a significant concern for Chrome OS deployments in enterprise environments where user interaction with potentially malicious interfaces could lead to widespread system compromise. The vulnerability affects Chrome OS devices that rely on the Shell for their user interface operations, making it particularly dangerous for organizations that depend on these platforms for their computing infrastructure.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should prioritize immediate patching of affected Chrome OS systems to version 104.0.5112.101 or later where the memory management issues have been resolved. Organizations should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish user awareness programs to prevent social engineering attacks that could lead to exploitation. The remediation process should include comprehensive testing of the patched systems to ensure that the memory management fixes are properly implemented and that no regressions have occurred in the Chrome OS Shell functionality. Additionally, security teams should consider implementing runtime protections and memory integrity checks to detect potential exploitation attempts even if the primary patching measures fail. This vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and the need for robust memory safety practices in operating system components, aligning with ATT&CK techniques that focus on privilege escalation and remote code execution through memory corruption vulnerabilities.