CVE-2010-1665 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 4.1.249.1064 does not properly handle fonts, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) and possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/08/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1665 represents a critical memory corruption issue within Google Chrome browser versions prior to 4.1.249.1064. This flaw specifically manifests in the browser's font handling mechanisms, which form a fundamental component of web rendering and user interface presentation. The vulnerability's classification as a denial of service condition indicates that attackers can exploit this weakness to crash the browser or cause unexpected behavior that disrupts normal user operations. The memory corruption aspect suggests that the flaw may allow for more severe consequences beyond simple service interruption, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation depending on the attack vector and target environment. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the description indicate that this vulnerability could serve as a foothold for more sophisticated attacks that leverage the memory corruption to gain deeper system access or manipulate browser processes in unexpected ways.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in how Chrome processes font data when rendering web content. When the browser encounters certain font files or font-related instructions in web pages, it fails to properly validate or sanitize the font data before processing it in memory. This improper handling creates memory corruption conditions that can be triggered through maliciously crafted web content containing specially formatted font information. The vulnerability's exploitation typically involves delivering web content with malformed font data that causes Chrome's rendering engine to allocate memory incorrectly or access memory locations outside of its intended boundaries. The attack surface is particularly broad since font handling is essential for displaying web content across different platforms and languages, making this vulnerability applicable to a wide range of web browsing scenarios and potentially affecting users across various operating systems and device types. The specific nature of the memory corruption suggests that attackers could manipulate heap memory structures or stack operations during font processing, potentially leading to unpredictable behavior or system instability.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-1665 extends beyond simple browser crashes to encompass potential security risks that could compromise user systems and data integrity. Users running vulnerable Chrome versions face significant exposure to remote exploitation, as the vulnerability can be triggered through ordinary web browsing activities without requiring any special user interaction beyond visiting compromised websites. The memory corruption aspect creates opportunities for attackers to execute arbitrary code within the browser's security context, potentially allowing them to access user data, cookies, or even escalate privileges to gain access to underlying operating system resources. Organizations using Chrome as their primary browser for web-based operations face substantial risk of service disruption and potential data breaches if this vulnerability remains unpatched. The vulnerability's presence in widely deployed browser versions means that large numbers of users could be simultaneously exposed to exploitation, making it a high-priority security concern for both individual users and enterprise security teams. The attack vectors are particularly concerning because they can be delivered through standard web content, making detection and prevention challenging for network security systems that may not recognize the subtle indicators of font-based memory corruption attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1665 primarily focus on immediate remediation through software updates and browser version upgrades. The most effective immediate solution is to upgrade to Google Chrome version 4.1.249.1064 or later, which contains patches specifically designed to address the font handling vulnerabilities. Organizations should implement automated update mechanisms or manual verification processes to ensure all users have the latest secure browser versions installed. Network administrators can employ web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious websites that may exploit this vulnerability, though this approach provides only partial protection since the vulnerability can be triggered through legitimate web content. Browser security configurations should include enhanced sandboxing features that limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts, even if successful attacks occur. The vulnerability's characteristics align with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are common in memory corruption vulnerabilities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and execution through web-based attack vectors, with potential mappings to T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage and T1071 for application layer protocols. Security teams should also consider implementing behavioral monitoring to detect anomalous font processing activities that might indicate exploitation attempts, as well as regular security assessments to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in other browser components and web applications.