CVE-2022-1310: Google Chrome Use After Free Vulnerability

CVE-2022-1310 Overview

CVE-2022-1310 is a Use After Free vulnerability in the regular expressions component of Google Chrome prior to version 100.0.4896.88. This memory corruption flaw allows a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via a crafted HTML page. The vulnerability exists in Chrome's JavaScript engine when processing regular expressions, where improper memory management can lead to referencing freed memory.

Critical Impact

Remote attackers can potentially achieve arbitrary code execution by exploiting heap corruption through maliciously crafted web content. Users visiting a compromised or malicious website could have their systems compromised without any additional user interaction beyond navigation.

Affected Products

• Google Chrome versions prior to 100.0.4896.88
• All platforms running vulnerable Chrome versions (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Chromium-based browsers that may share the affected codebase

Discovery Timeline

• 2022-04-11 - Google releases security patch in Chrome 100.0.4896.88
• 2022-07-25 - CVE-2022-1310 published to NVD
• 2024-11-21 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2022-1310

Vulnerability Analysis

This Use After Free vulnerability (CWE-416) occurs within Google Chrome's regular expression processing engine. Use After Free conditions arise when a program continues to use a pointer after the memory it references has been deallocated. In the context of Chrome's regex implementation, this can occur during complex pattern matching operations where object lifetimes are not properly managed.

The vulnerability requires user interaction in the form of visiting a malicious webpage, but no additional privileges are needed for exploitation. Once triggered, the attacker can potentially corrupt heap memory structures, leading to control flow hijacking or arbitrary code execution within the browser's sandboxed renderer process.

Root Cause

The root cause stems from improper memory lifecycle management in Chrome's regular expression engine. When processing certain regex patterns, the engine may prematurely free memory objects while retaining references to them. Subsequent operations that attempt to access these dangling pointers trigger the use-after-free condition, allowing an attacker to potentially control the contents of the freed memory region and redirect execution flow.

Attack Vector

The attack is network-based and requires user interaction. An attacker must craft a malicious HTML page containing JavaScript code with specially constructed regular expressions designed to trigger the memory corruption. The attack scenario typically involves:

1. Attacker creates a webpage with malicious JavaScript containing crafted regex patterns
2. Victim navigates to the malicious page or is redirected via phishing/advertising
3. Chrome's JavaScript engine processes the malicious regular expression
4. The use-after-free condition is triggered during regex evaluation
5. Heap corruption occurs, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution

The vulnerability mechanism involves crafted regular expression patterns that trigger improper memory handling during pattern evaluation. When Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine processes these patterns, the regex engine may free memory objects prematurely while other components still hold references. See the Chrome Bug Report #1307610 for additional technical details.

Detection Methods for CVE-2022-1310

Indicators of Compromise

• Unexpected Chrome renderer process crashes or restarts during web browsing
• Memory access violation errors in Chrome crash dumps referencing regex-related functions
• Suspicious JavaScript content with complex or obfuscated regular expression patterns
• Browser exploitation attempts logged by endpoint detection systems

Detection Strategies

• Monitor for Chrome processes exhibiting abnormal memory allocation patterns
• Deploy browser telemetry to detect crashes related to regex processing
• Implement network-level inspection for known exploitation patterns in HTML/JavaScript content
• Utilize SentinelOne's behavioral AI to detect post-exploitation activities following browser compromise

Monitoring Recommendations

• Enable Chrome's enhanced protection mode and crash reporting features
• Configure endpoint detection solutions to alert on suspicious Chrome child process behavior
• Monitor for unexpected network connections from Chrome renderer processes
• Implement web proxy logging to identify potential malicious page access

How to Mitigate CVE-2022-1310

Immediate Actions Required

• Update Google Chrome to version 100.0.4896.88 or later immediately
• Enable automatic Chrome updates to ensure timely security patches
• Review enterprise browser deployment policies to enforce minimum version requirements
• Consider using browser isolation technologies for high-risk browsing activities

Patch Information

Google addressed this vulnerability in the Chrome 100.0.4896.88 stable channel update released on April 11, 2022. The fix corrects the memory management issue in the regular expression engine to prevent use-after-free conditions. Users should verify their Chrome version by navigating to chrome://settings/help and ensuring the version is 100.0.4896.88 or newer.

For detailed patch information, refer to the Google Chrome Stable Update announcement.

Linux distributions have also released advisories, including the Gentoo GLSA 202208-25 security advisory.

Workarounds

• If immediate patching is not possible, consider temporarily disabling JavaScript in Chrome settings (note: this will significantly impact web functionality)
• Use browser isolation or virtualization to contain potential exploitation
• Implement strict web filtering to block access to untrusted or suspicious websites
• Deploy network-level security controls to detect and block known exploitation attempts

# Verify Chrome version on Linux/macOS
google-chrome --version
# Expected output: Google Chrome 100.0.4896.88 or higher

# Force Chrome update check (Linux)
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade google-chrome-stable

# Enterprise policy to enforce minimum Chrome version
# Add to Chrome policy JSON configuration
# "MinimumChromeVersion": "100.0.4896.88"