CVE-2025-0439 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE • 01/15/2025
Race in Frames in Google Chrome prior to 132.0.6834.83 allowed a remote attacker who convinced a user to engage in specific UI gestures to perform UI spoofing via a crafted HTML page. (Chromium security severity: Medium)
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/19/2025
This vulnerability represents a race condition affecting the frame handling mechanisms within Google Chrome browser versions prior to 132.0.6834.83. The issue stems from improper synchronization between frame creation and user interface rendering processes, creating a temporal window where malicious actors can exploit the system through carefully crafted HTML content. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of browser rendering engine behavior and user interaction patterns, specifically targeting the timing dependencies that govern how frames are processed and displayed.
The technical flaw manifests when the browser encounters specific UI gestures that trigger frame creation while simultaneously processing user interactions. During this race condition, the frame management system fails to properly validate or synchronize the state transitions between different frame contexts, allowing attackers to manipulate the visual representation of web content. This creates opportunities for UI spoofing attacks where malicious pages can present misleading interfaces or overlay legitimate elements with forged content. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-362, which specifically addresses race conditions in software systems where concurrent operations can lead to unpredictable behavior and security weaknesses.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple visual deception, as it can enable sophisticated phishing attacks and social engineering campaigns. Attackers can leverage this weakness to create convincing fake login forms, payment interfaces, or system alerts that appear legitimate to users. The medium severity classification indicates that while the vulnerability does not directly allow arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation, it provides a significant vector for user manipulation and potentially leads to credential theft or financial fraud. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1566, which covers social engineering methods including phishing and user interaction-based attacks that exploit human psychology rather than direct technical vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate browser updates to version 132.0.6834.83 or later, which contains the necessary synchronization fixes for frame handling operations. Organizations should also implement additional security measures such as content security policy enforcement, user education about suspicious UI elements, and monitoring for unusual frame behavior patterns. Browser security teams should consider implementing stricter validation mechanisms for frame transitions and enhancing the robustness of UI rendering processes to prevent similar race conditions from occurring in future releases. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper concurrency control in complex browser environments where multiple processes must coordinate seamlessly to maintain both performance and security.