CVE-2010-3255 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 6.0.472.53 and webkitgtk before 1.2.6 do not properly handle counter nodes, 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 • 09/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-3255 represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting web browsers that utilize WebKit rendering engines. This issue specifically impacts Google Chrome versions prior to 6.0.472.53 and WebKitGTK versions before 1.2.6, demonstrating the widespread nature of WebKit-based browser vulnerabilities that can affect multiple platforms and applications. The flaw resides in how these browsers handle counter nodes, which are CSS-generated elements used to track and display numerical values in web documents. These counter nodes are part of the CSS specification and are commonly used in navigation lists, table of contents, and other structured content displays where sequential numbering is required.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management when processing counter node elements within the WebKit rendering engine. When a web page contains malformed or maliciously crafted counter node structures, the browser's memory allocation and deallocation mechanisms fail to properly handle the associated data structures, leading to memory corruption. This memory corruption can manifest in various ways including heap corruption, stack overflow conditions, or use-after-free vulnerabilities that occur when the browser attempts to access memory locations that have already been freed or reallocated. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-125 indicates it involves an out-of-bounds read or write operation, while its potential for remote code execution aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 for exploitation through web-based attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as the memory corruption can potentially enable remote attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that, when loaded in vulnerable browsers, trigger the memory corruption through specific counter node configurations. This creates a significant threat vector for man-in-the-middle attacks, drive-by downloads, and phishing campaigns where victims unknowingly visit compromised websites. The vulnerability's exploitation requires no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may encounter such sites through email attachments, social engineering, or compromised web services. The potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that beyond immediate denial of service, attackers may be able to escalate privileges or gain additional system access through the memory corruption.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-3255 primarily involve immediate patching of affected browser versions to ensure proper memory handling for counter node elements. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies and maintain current versions of all web browsers across their networks. Network administrators can deploy web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains that may exploit this vulnerability. Browser security enhancements including sandboxing mechanisms, memory protection features, and strict content security policies should be enabled to limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts. Additionally, user education programs should emphasize the importance of avoiding suspicious websites and attachments, while security teams should monitor for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability through network traffic analysis and endpoint detection systems. The remediation process should include thorough testing of updated browser versions to ensure compatibility with existing web applications while maintaining security posture against this and similar memory corruption vulnerabilities.