CVE-2009-3831 in Web Browser
Summary
by MITRE
Opera before 10.01 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and application crash) via a crafted domain name.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/22/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2009-3831 affects Opera web browsers version 10.00 and earlier, presenting a critical security risk that enables remote code execution or denial of service through manipulation of domain names. This flaw resides in the browser's handling of malformed or crafted domain names during the resolution process, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit memory corruption issues within the browser's architecture. The vulnerability specifically targets the domain name system resolution mechanism, which is fundamental to how browsers establish connections with web servers and process network requests.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when Opera processes a specially crafted domain name that triggers memory corruption within the browser's memory management subsystem. This memory corruption can manifest as heap overflow conditions, buffer overflows, or other memory management errors that allow attackers to manipulate the browser's execution flow. The flaw typically arises during DNS resolution or hostname validation processes where the browser fails to properly validate or sanitize input domain names before processing them through internal parsing routines. Such memory corruption vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous as they can lead to arbitrary code execution when the corrupted memory is subsequently accessed or when the application crashes and restarts with malicious payloads.
The operational impact of CVE-2009-3831 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to include potential complete system compromise when attackers leverage the memory corruption to execute arbitrary code. This vulnerability can be exploited through various attack vectors including malicious websites, phishing emails containing crafted links, or compromised web content that triggers the vulnerable code path when users navigate to malicious domains. The memory corruption issues can cause unpredictable behavior including application crashes, browser instability, and in more sophisticated exploitation scenarios, full system compromise through privilege escalation or code injection attacks. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where browser-based attacks are common attack vectors.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and represents a classic example of memory safety issues in web browser implementations. The vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation of remote services, and T1059, which involves command and scripting interpreters. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Opera installations to version 10.01 or later, which contains the necessary fixes to properly validate and sanitize domain names during processing. Additional mitigations include implementing network-level protections such as DNS filtering, web application firewalls, and browser hardening measures that restrict access to potentially malicious domains. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include checks for this specific vulnerability to ensure comprehensive protection against exploitation attempts.
The remediation strategy for this vulnerability requires immediate deployment of Opera version 10.01 or subsequent releases that contain the patched DNS resolution handling code. System administrators should also implement network monitoring solutions to detect and block traffic to known malicious domains that may exploit this vulnerability. Security teams should conduct comprehensive vulnerability assessments to identify all systems running affected Opera versions and ensure proper patch management protocols are in place. Organizations may also consider implementing additional security controls such as sandboxing mechanisms, network segmentation, and user education programs to reduce the risk of exploitation through social engineering or compromised websites that could leverage this memory corruption vulnerability.