CVE-2022-3052 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 09/26/2022
Heap buffer overflow in Window Manager in Google Chrome on Chrome OS, Lacros prior to 105.0.5195.52 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to engage in specific UI interactions to potentially exploit heap corruption via crafted UI interactions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/22/2025
This heap buffer overflow vulnerability exists within the window manager component of Google Chrome running on Chrome OS and Lacros environments. The flaw manifests when the system processes specific user interface interactions that trigger memory corruption in the heap allocation structure. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it can be exploited remotely through crafted UI interactions that an attacker might诱导 a user to perform. The heap buffer overflow occurs when the window manager fails to properly validate input boundaries during UI processing, allowing malicious data to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 heap-based buffer overflow category, which represents a critical class of memory corruption flaws that can lead to arbitrary code execution. The attack vector requires social engineering to convince users to perform specific UI interactions, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios. The vulnerability affects Chrome OS and Lacros versions prior to 105.0.5195.52, indicating that the window manager implementation contained insufficient bounds checking mechanisms for handling user interface events.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability leverages the inherent memory management flaws within Chrome's window manager subsystem. When legitimate UI interactions are crafted in a specific manner, they can cause the heap allocator to write data beyond the allocated buffer boundaries. This memory corruption can potentially overwrite critical data structures, function pointers, or return addresses, enabling attackers to redirect execution flow or inject malicious code. The heap overflow occurs in the context of the window manager's memory handling routines, which are responsible for managing window positioning, sizing, and user interaction events. The vulnerability's remote exploitability through UI interactions means that attackers can potentially deliver malicious payloads through web-based interfaces or other remote attack vectors that can trigger the specific user interaction sequences. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves exploitation of user interaction mechanisms to achieve code execution. The attack requires precise crafting of UI elements and interaction sequences that can bypass Chrome's normal input validation processes, making it a sophisticated exploit requiring deep understanding of the browser's internal memory management.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, potentially enabling full system compromise through privilege escalation or remote code execution. Successful exploitation could allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Chrome process, which typically runs with elevated permissions on Chrome OS systems. The window manager's role in system-level UI operations means that compromising this component can lead to broader system access and potential persistence mechanisms. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to establish backdoors, exfiltrate data, or perform further reconnaissance within the compromised system. The vulnerability's nature as a heap-based buffer overflow also means that it could be chained with other exploits to achieve more sophisticated attack objectives, potentially bypassing modern exploit mitigations such as stack canaries, ASLR, and DEP. The attack requires user interaction, which provides a defense-in-depth opportunity through user education and awareness programs, but also represents a significant risk in environments where users may be targeted through phishing or social engineering campaigns. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Chrome OS and Lacros installations to mitigate this vulnerability.
The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of memory safety in browser components, particularly those handling user interface interactions. Chrome's window manager component must properly validate all input parameters and enforce strict buffer boundaries to prevent such memory corruption issues. This flaw underscores the need for comprehensive input validation and robust memory management practices in system-level components. The vulnerability's classification as a heap buffer overflow highlights the necessity of implementing proper bounds checking and memory allocation safety mechanisms. Organizations should implement monitoring for suspicious UI interaction patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts, while also ensuring that all Chrome OS and Lacros systems are maintained with current security patches. The vulnerability's remote exploitation potential through crafted UI interactions emphasizes the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser security measures and implementing network-based protections to detect and prevent such attack patterns. Security teams should consider this vulnerability as part of broader threat hunting activities focused on browser-based exploits and memory corruption attacks.