CVE-2022-3307 in Edge
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2022
Use after free in media in Google Chrome prior to 106.0.5249.62 allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. (Chrome security severity: High)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free condition in Google Chrome's media handling subsystem that could enable remote code execution through malicious web content. The flaw exists within the browser's processing of media elements and occurs when Chrome attempts to access memory that has already been freed during media resource management operations. Such vulnerabilities typically arise from improper memory management where objects are deallocated but references to them persist, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate heap memory layout and potentially execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability affects Chrome versions prior to 106.0.5249.62 and is classified as high severity due to its remote exploitability and potential for arbitrary code execution.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability involves the media subsystem's handling of multimedia resources within HTML pages. When Chrome processes crafted media content, it may prematurely free memory associated with media objects while still maintaining pointers to those locations. This creates a scenario where subsequent operations on the freed memory can corrupt heap structures, potentially allowing attackers to overwrite critical data structures or function pointers. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the browser's rendering pipeline, where malicious HTML pages can trigger the problematic code path through carefully constructed media elements such as video or audio tags with specific attributes or embedded content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to users who browse the internet without proper security measures. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that, when loaded in affected Chrome versions, trigger the use-after-free condition and potentially gain remote code execution capabilities. The attack vector is entirely remote and requires no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous for widespread exploitation. The heap corruption can potentially be leveraged to achieve privilege escalation or execute malicious payloads directly on the victim's system. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, and CWE-416 represents the specific weakness of free'd memory access in the vulnerability's root cause.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate patching of Chrome browsers to versions 106.0.5249.62 or later where the memory management issues have been addressed. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies and consider deploying automated patch management solutions to ensure timely remediation. Additional protective measures include implementing content security policies, using sandboxing technologies, and monitoring for suspicious browser behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network-level defenses such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help detect and block malicious content delivery. The vulnerability's classification as high severity underscores the importance of immediate remediation, as it represents a direct pathway to system compromise without user interaction, aligning with the principle of least privilege and defense in depth strategies recommended by cybersecurity frameworks.