CVE-2022-0290: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2022-0290 Overview

CVE-2022-0290 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Site Isolation component of Google Chrome versions prior to 97.0.4692.99. A remote attacker can exploit this flaw by serving a crafted HTML page that triggers memory corruption in the renderer process. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to potentially escape the Chrome sandbox, breaking the security boundary that isolates web content from the host operating system. The vulnerability is tracked under CWE-416 and affects the RenderFrameHostImpl component within the browser's site isolation architecture.

Critical Impact
Remote attackers can trigger a sandbox escape via a crafted HTML page, breaking Chrome's process isolation boundary and gaining elevated execution context outside the renderer sandbox.

Affected Products

Google Chrome versions prior to 97.0.4692.99
Chromium-based browsers sharing the same Site Isolation code path
Desktop Chrome stable channel builds released before January 19, 2022

Discovery Timeline

2022-02-12 - CVE-2022-0290 published to the National Vulnerability Database
2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-0290

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Chrome's Site Isolation feature, which enforces process-level separation between different web origins. Site Isolation relies on RenderFrameHostImpl to coordinate frame lifecycle events across the browser and renderer processes. A use-after-free condition occurs when code retains and dereferences a pointer to a RenderFrameHostImpl object after its underlying memory has been released.

An attacker hosts a crafted HTML page that manipulates frame creation, navigation, and destruction sequences. The required user interaction is loading the page in a vulnerable Chrome build. Once the freed object is reused, attacker-controlled data can occupy the stale memory region. This primitive enables arbitrary memory writes and control-flow hijacking within the browser process, which runs with greater privileges than the sandboxed renderer.

The scope-change classification reflects that exploitation crosses the renderer sandbox boundary into the browser process context. The flaw was addressed in Chrome 97.0.4692.99, released through the stable channel update on January 19, 2022.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper lifetime management of RenderFrameHostImpl objects. Site Isolation logic does not consistently invalidate references when a frame host is destroyed during cross-origin navigation or detachment. Subsequent operations dereference the dangling pointer, satisfying the conditions for CWE-416.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires the victim to visit an attacker-controlled or compromised web page. The attack vector is fully remote and does not require authentication. The crafted HTML coordinates DOM manipulation, frame navigation, and timing-sensitive operations to free the target object and then reference it. No code samples are publicly reproduced here. Technical details are available in the Packet Storm Security Advisory and the Chromium Bug Report #1260134.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-0290

Indicators of Compromise

Chrome renderer or browser process crashes with access violations referencing RenderFrameHostImpl or freed heap regions
Unexpected child process spawns from chrome.exe following navigation to an untrusted page
Outbound connections from Chrome processes to unknown command-and-control infrastructure after page loads
Endpoints running Chrome versions older than 97.0.4692.99

Detection Strategies

Inventory installed Chrome versions across managed endpoints and flag any build below 97.0.4692.99
Monitor for anomalous process creation chains originating from Chrome, especially executions outside the standard renderer sandbox
Correlate browser crash telemetry with web proxy logs to identify pages that consistently trigger renderer faults

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable browser crash reporting and forward telemetry to a centralized SIEM for review
Track DNS and HTTP requests from browser processes for connections to newly registered or low-reputation domains
Alert on file writes or registry changes performed by descendants of Chrome processes

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-0290

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome to version 97.0.4692.99 or later on all managed endpoints
Force-restart Chrome after deploying the update to ensure the patched binary is loaded into memory
Audit Chromium-based browsers and embedded WebView components for equivalent fixes

Patch Information

Google released the fix in the stable channel update for desktop on January 19, 2022. Details are documented in the Google Chrome Update Announcement and the Chromium Bug Report #1260134. Administrators should deploy the update through enterprise management tooling such as Chrome Browser Cloud Management or standard software distribution platforms.

Workarounds

Restrict browsing to trusted sites via enterprise web filtering until patching completes
Disable JavaScript on untrusted origins through enterprise policy to reduce exploitability
Apply application allowlisting to prevent unauthorized child processes from Chrome

bash

# Verify installed Chrome version on Windows
reg query "HKLM\Software\Google\Update\Clients\{8A69D345-D564-463C-AFF1-A69D9E530F96}" /v pv

# Verify installed Chrome version on macOS
/Applications/Google\ Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google\ Chrome --version

# Verify installed Chrome version on Linux
google-chrome --version