CVE-2022-0452: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2022-0452 Overview

CVE-2022-0452 is a use-after-free vulnerability [CWE-416] in the Safe Browsing component of Google Chrome versions prior to 98.0.4758.80. A remote attacker can exploit this flaw by serving a crafted HTML page to a target user. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to potentially perform a sandbox escape, breaking out of Chrome's renderer isolation boundary. The vulnerability requires user interaction, such as visiting a malicious website, but no privileges or authentication are needed.

Critical Impact

Successful exploitation enables sandbox escape from the Chrome renderer, allowing an attacker to execute code outside Chrome's security boundary and potentially compromise the host system.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 98.0.4758.80
• Chromium-based browsers sharing the affected Safe Browsing code
• Desktop Chrome on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Discovery Timeline

• 2022-04-05 - CVE-2022-0452 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-0452

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Chrome's Safe Browsing component, which checks URLs and downloads against Google's lists of unsafe web resources. A use-after-free condition occurs when the code references a memory object after it has been freed. An attacker who controls the contents of the freed memory region can hijack execution flow.

Because Safe Browsing runs with elevated trust relative to the renderer sandbox, exploiting this flaw can serve as a stepping stone to a sandbox escape. The attack chain typically pairs a renderer compromise with this flaw to break out of Chrome's process isolation. The attack requires the victim to load attacker-controlled HTML, but no further interaction is required.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper object lifetime management within the Safe Browsing component. A pointer continues to reference a heap object after the object has been deallocated. When the freed memory is reallocated and populated with attacker-controlled data, dereferencing the dangling pointer leads to memory corruption and controllable behavior.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is network based. An attacker hosts a crafted HTML page that triggers Safe Browsing logic in a manner that frees an object while a reference remains live. After the user navigates to the page, the attacker grooms the heap to reclaim the freed memory and gain control over the dangling reference, advancing toward a sandbox escape.

Refer to the Chromium Bug Report #1284584 and the Google Chrome Update Blog for vendor technical context.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-0452

Indicators of Compromise

• Chrome renderer or utility process crashes referencing Safe Browsing modules shortly after navigation
• Unexpected child processes spawned by chrome.exe following a browsing session
• Outbound connections to unfamiliar domains immediately preceding browser crashes
• Browser binary versions below 98.0.4758.80 present on managed endpoints

Detection Strategies

• Inventory installed Chrome versions across the fleet and flag any build older than 98.0.4758.80
• Monitor for anomalous process lineage where Chrome spawns shells, scripting hosts, or LOLBins
• Correlate browser crash telemetry with URL navigation history to identify suspicious pages
• Alert on writes to autorun locations or credential stores from Chrome child processes

Monitoring Recommendations

• Forward Chrome crash dumps and process telemetry to a centralized SIEM for retrospective analysis
• Track Safe Browsing service interactions and unusual update patterns on endpoints
• Apply EDR behavioral rules that detect post-exploitation activity originating from browser processes

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-0452

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 98.0.4758.80 or later on all managed endpoints
• Restart browser sessions after patching to ensure the vulnerable binary is unloaded from memory
• Audit endpoints for outdated Chrome installs and enforce automatic updates via group policy or MDM
• Restrict browsing to untrusted sites until patch deployment is verified across the environment

Patch Information

Google released the fix in Chrome 98.0.4758.80 through the Stable channel update for desktop. Administrators should consult the Google Chrome Update Blog for the full advisory and rollout details.

Workarounds

• No vendor-supplied workaround exists; patching is the only complete remediation
• Disable or restrict navigation to untrusted sites via web proxy or DNS filtering until patched
• Enforce site isolation and least-privilege user accounts to reduce post-exploitation impact
• Deploy endpoint protection capable of detecting browser exploitation chains and sandbox escapes

# 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 Linux
google-chrome --version

# Force update via enterprise policy (example registry value, Windows)
reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Google\Update" /v UpdateDefault /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f