CVE-2022-0977: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2022-0977 Overview

CVE-2022-0977 is a Use After Free vulnerability in the Browser UI component of Google Chrome on Chrome OS. This memory corruption flaw exists in versions prior to 99.0.4844.74 and allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. Successful exploitation requires user interaction, where an attacker must convince a victim to engage in specific actions while visiting a malicious web page.

Critical Impact

This Use After Free vulnerability enables remote attackers to potentially achieve arbitrary code execution through heap corruption, affecting the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the target system with the potential to escape the browser sandbox.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome prior to version 99.0.4844.74 on Chrome OS
• Google Chrome (all platforms) versions below 99.0.4844.74

Discovery Timeline

• 2022-03-15 - Google releases security patch in Chrome 99.0.4844.74
• 2022-07-21 - CVE-2022-0977 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-0977

Vulnerability Analysis

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), a memory corruption vulnerability class that occurs when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been freed. In the context of Google Chrome's Browser UI component on Chrome OS, this flaw manifests when certain UI elements are improperly managed during specific user interactions.

Use After Free vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous in browser contexts because they can lead to heap corruption, which attackers can leverage to achieve arbitrary code execution. The Browser UI component handles various user interface elements and interactions, making it a high-value target for exploitation.

Root Cause

The root cause of CVE-2022-0977 lies in improper memory management within the Browser UI component of Google Chrome on Chrome OS. When certain UI objects are deallocated, the code fails to properly invalidate all references to the freed memory. Subsequent operations that attempt to access these dangling pointers result in Use After Free conditions.

This type of memory safety error typically occurs when:

• An object is freed while other components still hold references to it
• Asynchronous callbacks or event handlers reference objects that have been destroyed
• Race conditions in the UI rendering pipeline lead to premature object destruction

Attack Vector

The attack vector for this vulnerability is network-based, requiring a remote attacker to craft a malicious HTML page that triggers the vulnerable code path. The exploitation scenario involves:

1. An attacker hosts or injects malicious content on a web page
2. A victim using Google Chrome on Chrome OS navigates to the malicious page
3. The attacker convinces the user to perform specific interactions (clicks, scrolling, or other UI actions)
4. The crafted page triggers the Use After Free condition in the Browser UI component
5. The attacker leverages the heap corruption to potentially execute arbitrary code

The vulnerability mechanism involves manipulating the timing and sequence of UI events to trigger the memory corruption. When the freed memory is reallocated and populated with attacker-controlled data, subsequent access to the dangling pointer can result in code execution. For detailed technical analysis, refer to the Chromium Bug Report #1299225.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-0977

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected browser crashes or instability when visiting specific web pages
• Chrome crash reports indicating heap corruption or memory access violations in Browser UI components
• Unusual memory allocation patterns in Chrome process monitoring
• Browser sandbox escape attempts or anomalous child process behavior

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome versions below 99.0.4844.74 across enterprise endpoints using asset inventory tools
• Implement network-based detection for known malicious HTML patterns targeting this vulnerability
• Enable Chrome's crash reporting and monitor for heap corruption signatures in crash dumps
• Deploy endpoint detection rules to identify exploit attempts targeting Chrome Browser UI

Monitoring Recommendations

• Configure SentinelOne to detect and alert on vulnerable Chrome versions in your environment
• Enable enhanced browser telemetry to capture memory corruption events and crash data
• Monitor for unusual process behavior from Chrome, including unexpected memory access patterns
• Review Chrome update compliance across endpoints to ensure timely patching

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-0977

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 99.0.4844.74 or later immediately
• Enable automatic Chrome updates to receive security patches promptly
• Restrict access to untrusted websites through web filtering policies
• Educate users about the risks of interacting with suspicious web content

Patch Information

Google addressed this vulnerability in the Chrome 99.0.4844.74 stable channel release on March 15, 2022. The fix properly manages the lifecycle of Browser UI objects to prevent Use After Free conditions. Organizations should verify that all Chrome installations have been updated to the patched version or later.

For official patch details, see the Google Chrome Stable Update. Linux distributions may have their own security advisories, such as Gentoo GLSA 202208-25.

Workarounds

• Enable Chrome's Site Isolation feature for additional process-level protection
• Use browser security extensions to block known malicious sites
• Configure enterprise policies to restrict Chrome features that may expose vulnerable code paths
• Consider using an alternative browser on Chrome OS until patches can be applied

# Verify Chrome version on Linux/Chrome OS
google-chrome --version

# Force Chrome update check (Linux)
google-chrome --check-for-update

# Enterprise policy to enable automatic updates
# Add to /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/update_policy.json
{
  "AutoUpdateCheckPeriodMinutes": 1440,
  "UpdateDefault": 1
}