CVE-2010-3250 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Unspecified vulnerability in Google Chrome before 6.0.472.53 allows remote attackers to enumerate the set of installed extensions via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/24/2021
This vulnerability in Google Chrome prior to version 6.0.472.53 represents a significant information disclosure flaw that enabled remote attackers to discover the complete set of installed browser extensions on affected systems. The vulnerability falls under the category of information disclosure attacks where an attacker could gather intelligence about the victim's browser environment without direct user interaction or explicit authorization. The unspecified nature of the attack vectors suggests that the flaw existed within Chrome's extension management or enumeration mechanisms, potentially through improper access controls or insecure data exposure pathways within the browser's architecture. This type of vulnerability is particularly concerning as it provides attackers with valuable reconnaissance information that could be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks targeting specific extensions or their underlying security implementations.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability likely involved manipulating Chrome's extension API or browser internals to retrieve extension metadata without proper authentication or authorization checks. Attackers could potentially use this information to identify extensions with known security vulnerabilities, target specific browser configurations, or craft more effective phishing attacks that appear more legitimate to users. The flaw represents a failure in Chrome's access control mechanisms and could be classified under CWE-200 as an information exposure vulnerability. From an operational perspective, this vulnerability could enable attackers to build detailed profiles of user environments, potentially identifying extensions that lack proper security updates or contain known exploits. The impact extends beyond simple information disclosure as it provides attackers with attack surface information that could lead to privilege escalation or further compromise of the user's browsing environment.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with ATT&CK technique T1592, which involves reconnaissance activities focused on gathering information about the target system. This particular flaw could be exploited as part of a broader attack chain where initial reconnaissance leads to more targeted exploitation of specific browser extensions or their associated services. Organizations and users affected by this vulnerability should have immediately updated to Chrome version 6.0.472.53 or later, which contained the necessary patches to address the extension enumeration flaw. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper access control mechanisms within browser applications and demonstrates how seemingly minor implementation flaws can provide attackers with significant reconnaissance capabilities. This incident underscores the critical need for comprehensive security testing of browser components, particularly those involved in user environment enumeration and extension management systems that could inadvertently expose sensitive information to unauthorized parties.