CVE-2024-3838: Google Chrome Autofill UI Spoofing Vulnerability

CVE-2024-3838 Overview

CVE-2024-3838 is a user interface (UI) spoofing vulnerability affecting Google Chrome versions prior to 124.0.6367.60. The flaw resides in the Autofill component and results from an inappropriate implementation that a malicious application can abuse. An attacker who convinces a user to install a crafted app can manipulate the Autofill UI to mislead the user into disclosing sensitive data. Google classifies the Chromium security severity as Medium, and the issue is categorized under [CWE-358: Improperly Implemented Security Check for Standard].

Critical Impact
A crafted application can spoof Chrome Autofill UI elements to trick users into revealing stored credentials, payment details, or other autofilled data.

Affected Products

Google Chrome Desktop versions prior to 124.0.6367.60
Fedora Chromium package builds prior to the patched release
Chromium-based downstream browsers integrating vulnerable Autofill code

Discovery Timeline

2024-04-17 - CVE-2024-3838 published to the National Vulnerability Database (NVD)
2026-06-17 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-3838

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability is a UI spoofing weakness in Chrome's Autofill component. Autofill is responsible for suggesting and populating saved data such as addresses, payment cards, and form fields. An inappropriate implementation allows a locally installed malicious app to influence how Autofill renders content, enabling deceptive overlays or misleading prompts.

Exploitation requires user interaction. The attacker must first convince the user to install a malicious app, then trigger the crafted UI flow inside Chrome. Successful exploitation does not disclose data directly through a memory bug. Instead, it manipulates trust cues in the rendered Autofill interface, so the user provides sensitive input under false pretenses.

The integrity impact is high because attackers can substitute what the user believes they are approving. Confidentiality and availability are not directly affected at the browser process level, though downstream credential theft is a realistic secondary outcome.

Root Cause

The root cause is an inappropriate implementation in the Autofill subsystem that fails to enforce a standard security check when rendering UI in the presence of an attacker-controlled application. This aligns with [CWE-358], where a documented security control is present but not correctly implemented. Details are tracked in the Chromium Issue Tracker.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local and requires user interaction. A threat actor must convince the target to install a malicious app that interacts with Chrome to trigger the spoofed Autofill UI. Remote-only exploitation without app installation is not indicated by the advisory. See the Google Chrome Stable Update advisory for the vendor's summary.

No verified exploit code is publicly available for this issue. The vulnerability mechanism is described in prose in line with the Chromium advisory and issue tracker entry.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-3838

Indicators of Compromise

Installation of unsigned or unexpected desktop applications shortly before user reports of Autofill anomalies.
Chrome browser versions below 124.0.6367.60 reported by endpoint inventory telemetry.
User reports of Autofill prompts appearing outside of expected web form contexts.

Detection Strategies

Inventory Chrome versions across managed endpoints and flag installations older than 124.0.6367.60.
Monitor application install events and correlate with subsequent browser process activity for suspicious sequencing.
Review browser telemetry for unusual window layering or foreground application transitions during Autofill interactions.

Monitoring Recommendations

Enable process creation and application install logging on Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints running Chrome.
Track user-reported phishing or credential entry anomalies through the help desk workflow.
Subscribe to the Chrome Releases blog and downstream distribution advisories such as the Fedora package announcements.

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-3838

Immediate Actions Required

Update Google Chrome to version 124.0.6367.60 or later on all managed endpoints.
Apply the corresponding Fedora Chromium package updates on affected Linux hosts.
Restrict installation of unvetted applications through application allowlisting policies.
Educate users on the risk of installing untrusted apps and validating Autofill prompts before submission.

Patch Information

Google addressed CVE-2024-3838 in the Stable Channel update 124.0.6367.60 for Desktop, published in the Chrome Releases advisory dated April 16, 2024. Fedora shipped corresponding Chromium updates tracked in the Fedora package announcement archive. Administrators should validate deployment through browser version reporting.

Workarounds

Disable Chrome Autofill for addresses and payment methods via enterprise policy until patched builds are deployed.
Enforce administrator-approved application installation to prevent users from running malicious apps that could trigger the spoof.
Deploy endpoint controls that block untrusted binaries from executing alongside Chrome sessions.

bash

# Example: enforce Chrome Autofill disablement via managed policy (Linux)
sudo mkdir -p /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed
cat <<EOF | sudo tee /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/autofill_policy.json
{
  "AutofillAddressEnabled": false,
  "AutofillCreditCardEnabled": false,
  "PasswordManagerEnabled": false
}
EOF