CVE-2022-0971: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2022-0971 Overview

CVE-2022-0971 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Blink Layout component of Google Chrome on Android prior to version 99.0.4844.74. A remote attacker who has already compromised the renderer process can trigger heap corruption through a crafted HTML page. Successful exploitation can lead to arbitrary code execution within the browser sandbox context. The flaw is tracked under [CWE-416] (Use After Free) and affects Chrome distributions across Android, macOS, and Linux platforms.

Critical Impact

Heap corruption via a crafted HTML page allows attackers with renderer compromise to escalate impact within the browser, threatening confidentiality, integrity, and availability of user data.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome on Android prior to 99.0.4844.74
• Linux distributions packaging affected Chrome builds (see Gentoo GLSA-202208-25)
• Apple macOS systems running affected Chrome builds

Discovery Timeline

• 2022-03-15 - Google publishes the Stable Channel update addressing the issue
• 2022-07-21 - CVE-2022-0971 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-0971

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in Blink Layout, the rendering engine component responsible for computing visual layout of web content in Chromium-based browsers. A use-after-free condition occurs when Blink Layout continues to reference a heap object after that object has been freed. An attacker delivering a crafted HTML page can manipulate object lifetimes to trigger the dangling reference. Once the freed memory is reallocated with attacker-controlled data, the subsequent dereference produces heap corruption. Exploitation requires the attacker to have already compromised the renderer process, typically via a separate vulnerability chain.

Root Cause

The root cause is improper memory lifetime management in the Blink Layout subsystem, classified as [CWE-416]. Layout objects are released while other code paths retain pointers to them, violating ownership invariants. The Chromium issue is tracked publicly as Chromium Bug #1299422.

Attack Vector

Exploitation requires network-delivered content and user interaction, typically loading a malicious page or navigating to attacker-controlled HTML. The attacker must first compromise the renderer process, then leverage this flaw to corrupt the heap. Combined with a sandbox escape, the chain can yield code execution outside the renderer boundary. The vulnerability affects mobile users on Android where Chrome is the predominant browser.

No verified public proof-of-concept code is available for this issue. Technical details for the underlying fix are documented in the Chromium Bug Report #1299422 and the Chrome Desktop Update Blog.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-0971

Indicators of Compromise

• Chrome on Android reporting a version string below 99.0.4844.74 in enterprise inventory or telemetry
• Renderer process crashes referencing Blink Layout frames in stack traces or crash dumps
• Unexpected child process spawns originating from the Chrome renderer on mobile or desktop endpoints
• Outbound connections from Chrome to untrusted hosts coinciding with crash events

Detection Strategies

• Inventory installed Chrome versions across managed Android, macOS, and Linux endpoints and flag builds below 99.0.4844.74
• Monitor browser crash telemetry for repeated renderer faults involving Blink layout objects
• Correlate visits to newly observed domains with subsequent Chrome process anomalies
• Inspect HTML and JavaScript payloads at web proxies for content patterns associated with heap grooming

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome Enterprise reporting and forward version data to centralized log analytics
• Aggregate endpoint process telemetry to detect anomalous child processes derived from Chrome
• Alert on Chrome installations that fall behind the vendor stable channel by more than one release

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-0971

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome on Android to version 99.0.4844.74 or later through Google Play
• Update Chrome on Linux and macOS to a build incorporating the March 2022 stable channel fix
• Apply distribution patches such as Gentoo GLSA-202208-25 on affected Linux systems
• Audit enterprise Chrome deployments and enforce automatic updates via policy

Patch Information

Google addressed the vulnerability in Chrome 99.0.4844.74. See the Chrome Desktop Update Blog for the official release notes and the Gentoo Security Advisory GLSA-202208-25 for Linux package guidance. Mobile users receive the fix automatically through the Google Play Store when auto-updates are enabled.

Workarounds

• No vendor-supplied workaround exists; updating to the patched version is required
• Restrict browsing to trusted sites until the patched build is deployed across managed devices
• Disable JavaScript on untrusted origins via enterprise policy as a temporary mitigation

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

# Force update Chrome on Debian-based systems
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade google-chrome-stable

# Verify installed Chrome package version on Android via adb
adb shell dumpsys package com.android.chrome | grep versionName