CVE-2010-2651 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
The Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) implementation in Google Chrome before 5.0.375.99 does not properly perform style rendering, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-2651 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Google Chrome's CSS rendering engine that existed in versions prior to 5.0.375.99. This issue stems from inadequate handling of style rendering operations that can be exploited by remote attackers to trigger system instability. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of web browser security and memory management, where improper CSS processing leads to potential system compromise. The affected component resides within Chrome's core rendering pipeline that processes Cascading Style Sheets to display web content, making it a fundamental security concern for browser users.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through malformed or specially crafted CSS content that triggers memory corruption during the rendering process. Attackers can leverage this weakness by hosting malicious web pages that contain crafted CSS rules designed to cause memory allocation errors or buffer overflows within Chrome's rendering engine. The flaw manifests when Chrome attempts to process CSS properties that exceed normal memory boundaries or when it encounters unexpected CSS structures that the parser cannot properly handle. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and represents a classic example of memory safety issues in browser implementations. The attack surface is particularly broad as it can be triggered through any web content that utilizes CSS styling, making it highly exploitable in real-world scenarios.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-2651 extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks. While the primary effect is memory corruption leading to browser crashes and system instability, the underlying memory safety issue creates opportunities for attackers to execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges. The vulnerability can be leveraged in conjunction with other attack vectors to create more dangerous exploitation scenarios, particularly when combined with browser sandbox escape techniques. From an attacker perspective, this flaw represents a valuable entry point for compromising user systems, as it can be triggered remotely through web browsing activities without requiring user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for browser-based command execution and T1211 for exploitation for defense evasion.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions containing the necessary security patches. Google released Chrome version 5.0.375.99 with fixes that properly handle CSS rendering operations and prevent the memory corruption conditions that led to exploitation. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all users have the latest browser versions installed, particularly in enterprise environments where multiple browsers may be in use. Additional protective measures include implementing web content filtering systems that can detect and block suspicious CSS content, enabling browser security features such as sandboxing and content security policies, and monitoring for unusual browser behavior that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust memory safety practices in browser implementations and highlights the critical need for regular security updates to address emerging threats in web technologies.