CVE-2022-3311 in Edge
Summary
by MITRE • 11/02/2022
Use after free in import in Google Chrome prior to 106.0.5249.62 allowed a remote attacker who had compromised a WebUI process to potentially perform a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page. (Chrome security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2022-3311 represents a critical use-after-free condition within Google Chrome's import functionality that existed prior to version 106.0.5249.62. This flaw specifically impacts the browser's handling of imported content and creates a potential sandbox escape vector that could be exploited by remote attackers who have already compromised a WebUI process. The vulnerability falls under the broader category of memory safety issues that have long been recognized as significant threats to browser security architectures.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability occurs within Chrome's import processing pipeline where memory allocated for handling imported HTML content becomes freed prematurely while still being referenced by subsequent operations. This memory management error creates a scenario where an attacker can manipulate the freed memory location to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. The flaw is particularly concerning because it allows for sandbox escape, meaning that an attacker who has already gained access to a restricted WebUI process could leverage this vulnerability to break out of the browser's security boundaries and potentially access system resources beyond the intended sandbox limitations.
From an operational security perspective, this vulnerability represents a medium severity threat that requires immediate attention from organizations relying on Chrome browsers. The attack vector necessitates that an attacker already have compromised a WebUI process, which suggests that the vulnerability may be exploited as part of a multi-stage attack strategy. The impact extends beyond simple code execution to include potential privilege escalation and system compromise, making it a significant concern for enterprise security teams. The vulnerability's exploitation potential aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for command and scripting interpreter and T1078.004 for valid accounts, as it leverages existing process compromise to achieve further system access.
The underlying cause of this vulnerability can be traced to inadequate memory management practices within Chrome's import handling code, which fails to properly track object lifecycles during import operations. This type of flaw commonly relates to CWE-416 which describes use after free conditions, and CWE-787 which addresses out-of-bounds write vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's classification as a sandbox escape indicates that it may also involve elements of privilege escalation and system-level access control bypass. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader security posture assessment, particularly when evaluating their browser security configurations and incident response procedures.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2022-3311 should prioritize immediate patching of Chrome browsers to version 106.0.5249.62 or later, as this represents the most effective defense against exploitation. Security teams should also implement additional monitoring for suspicious import operations and process behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network-based detection measures such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems should be configured to monitor for potentially malicious HTML content that could trigger this vulnerability. The vulnerability's nature suggests that browser hardening measures including sandbox configuration review and process isolation improvements should also be considered as part of comprehensive mitigation efforts. Organizations should also conduct security assessments to identify any potential compromise indicators that might have resulted from exploitation attempts.