How CVE-2025-0997 Works
This vulnerability occurs due to improper memory handling in Chrome’s Navigation component. When a crafted Chrome Extension manipulates navigation events, it triggers a use-after-free condition where the browser attempts to access memory that has already been freed. Attackers exploit this by chaining malicious JavaScript with extension APIs to corrupt heap memory, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution within the browser context. The flaw specifically exists in the DOM event handling pipeline during page transitions, where detached frame objects remain accessible.
DailyCVE Form:
Platform: Google Chrome
Version: <133.0.6943.98
Vulnerability: Use-After-Free
Severity: High
Date: 04/07/2025
What Undercode Say:
Exploitation Analysis:
- Crafted extensions abuse Chrome’s `webNavigation` API to trigger race conditions.
- Malicious payloads use `window.open()` with deferred callbacks to exploit freed memory references.
Proof-of-Concept Snippet:
chrome.webNavigation.onBeforeNavigate.addListener((details) => {
let danglingPtr = document.createElement('iframe');
danglingPtr.src = details.url;
setTimeout(() => { danglingPtr.remove(); }, 1);
// Triggers UAF during cleanup
});
Protection Commands:
1. Update Chrome:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade google-chrome-stable
2. Disable suspicious extensions:
chrome.management.uninstall(extensionId, {showConfirmDialog: true});
Mitigation Code:
// Chromium patch example (simplified)
void NavigationController::SanitizeFrameReferences() {
CHECK(!IsFrameDetached()); // Ensures no UAF
}
Heap Analysis Tools:
Use GDB to trace heap corruption gdb -ex "set follow-fork-mode child" --args chrome --disable-extensions
Network-Level Blocking (IPS):
location /malicious-extension {
deny all; Blocks extension C2 traffic
}
Log Monitoring:
grep -E "ExtensionInstall|CrashReport" /var/log/chrome/chrome.log
Memory Protection Flags:
export CHROME_FLAGS="--enable-features=PartitionAlloc-Everywhere"
References:
- Chromium Issue 142857
- MITRE ATT&CK T1189 (Client-Side Execution)
References:
Reported By: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-0997
Extra Source Hub:
Undercode
