CVE-2010-1823 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in WebKit before r65958, as used in Google Chrome before 6.0.472.59, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors that trigger use of document APIs such as document.close during parsing, as demonstrated by a Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) file referencing an invalid SVG font, aka rdar problem 8442098.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2021
The vulnerability described in CVE-2010-1823 represents a critical use-after-free condition within the WebKit rendering engine that was present in Google Chrome versions prior to 6.0.472.59. This flaw exists in the WebKit component before revision r65958 and allows remote attackers to exploit a memory management error that occurs during document parsing operations. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the document.close() API is invoked during the parsing phase of web content, creating a scenario where freed memory locations are accessed after they have been deallocated, leading to potential system instability or arbitrary code execution.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully crafted Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) files that reference invalid SVG fonts, which triggers the problematic code path within the WebKit engine. This attack vector demonstrates how seemingly benign CSS styling can be weaponized to exploit memory management flaws in browser rendering engines. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of web content parsing and memory management, where the document.close() function is called while the parser is still processing document elements, resulting in a situation where memory that has been freed is subsequently accessed. This type of flaw falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which is classified as a serious memory safety issue that can lead to system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-1823 extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks that could result in arbitrary code execution. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they can cause the browser to access freed memory locations, which may lead to crashes, data corruption, or in more severe cases, allow for remote code execution. The vulnerability's classification under the ATT&CK framework would fall under the T1059.007 technique for Command and Scripting Interpreter: JavaScript, as the exploitation typically involves JavaScript execution within the browser context. The specific nature of this vulnerability makes it particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through standard web content delivery, making it an attractive target for phishing campaigns or drive-by download attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-1823 primarily involve immediate patching of affected browser versions to ensure that users are running Google Chrome 6.0.472.59 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the WebKit memory management issues. Organizations should also implement network-based protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems that can detect and block malicious CSS content that attempts to trigger this vulnerability. Additionally, browser security hardening measures including sandboxing and strict content security policies should be enabled to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the importance of regular security updates and the critical need for robust memory management practices in browser engine development, particularly in complex rendering engines like WebKit that process vast amounts of untrusted content from the internet.