CVE-2010-1992 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome 1.0.154.48 executes a mail application in situations where an IFRAME element has a mailto: URL in its SRC attribute, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (excessive application launches) via an HTML document with many IFRAME elements.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/05/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-1992 represents a significant security flaw in Google Chrome version 1.0.154.48 that demonstrates a critical oversight in how the browser handles mailto: URLs within iframe elements. This issue stems from the browser's improper handling of maliciously crafted HTML documents that contain multiple iframe elements pointing to mailto: URIs, creating a scenario where the system becomes overwhelmed with application launch requests. The flaw specifically manifests when Chrome encounters an HTML document containing numerous iframe elements with mailto: URLs in their src attributes, leading to an excessive number of mail application launches that can result in system resource exhaustion and denial of service conditions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability can be categorized under CWE-400, which addresses "Uncontrolled Resource Consumption" or "Resource Exhaustion" in software systems. The flaw operates through a classic denial of service mechanism where the browser's processing of iframe elements containing mailto: URLs does not properly implement rate limiting or resource constraints. When Chrome processes an HTML document with multiple iframe elements referencing mailto: URIs, it attempts to execute the default mail application for each reference, regardless of whether these references are legitimate or malicious. This behavior creates an exploitable condition where an attacker can craft HTML documents containing hundreds or thousands of iframe elements, each pointing to a mailto: URL, causing the system to launch the mail application repeatedly until system resources are depleted and normal operation becomes impossible.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-1992 extends beyond simple denial of service to encompass broader system stability and user experience degradation. When exploited, this vulnerability can cause significant performance degradation, system hangs, or complete system crashes depending on the victim's system configuration and available resources. The vulnerability affects any user who visits a malicious website containing the crafted HTML document, making it particularly dangerous in web-based attack scenarios. Users may experience complete system unresponsiveness as the browser continues launching mail applications, potentially leading to data loss or system instability. This vulnerability particularly impacts enterprise environments where users may be browsing untrusted websites and where the automatic launching of applications could interfere with business-critical processes or security protocols.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability should encompass both immediate defensive measures and long-term architectural improvements. The most effective immediate solution involves updating to a patched version of Google Chrome where the iframe mailto: URL handling has been properly restricted and rate-limited to prevent excessive application launches. System administrators should implement web filtering solutions that can detect and block HTML documents containing excessive iframe elements or suspicious mailto: URL patterns. Browser security configurations should be adjusted to disable automatic execution of mailto: URLs in iframe contexts, and users should be educated about the risks of visiting untrusted websites. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving resource exhaustion and denial of service operations, specifically targeting the system resources that browsers consume during URL processing. The vulnerability also demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and resource management in web browser security, emphasizing that even seemingly benign URL schemes can create exploitable conditions when improperly handled within complex HTML structures.