CVE-2010-4199 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 7.0.517.44 does not properly perform a cast of an unspecified variable during processing of an SVG use element, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted SVG document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/28/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4199 represents a critical memory corruption issue within Google Chrome's SVG processing engine that existed prior to version 7.0.517.44. This flaw manifests during the handling of SVG use elements, which are fundamental components in scalable vector graphics that allow for the reuse of graphical objects within documents. The vulnerability stems from an improper type casting operation involving an unspecified variable that occurs when Chrome processes these specific SVG elements, creating a potential pathway for malicious exploitation. The issue falls under the broader category of memory safety vulnerabilities that have historically been exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution or system compromise.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves Chrome's rendering engine encountering a malformed SVG document containing a use element that triggers an incorrect type conversion during the parsing phase. This improper casting operation can lead to memory corruption within the browser's memory management system, potentially causing the application to crash or behave unpredictably. The flaw is particularly concerning because SVG documents can be embedded within HTML pages or delivered as standalone files, making exploitation possible through various attack vectors including web browsing, email attachments, or malicious websites. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service as it may enable more sophisticated attacks depending on the specific memory corruption patterns that occur during the casting operation.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to users who browse the web with affected Chrome versions, as the attack surface is extensive given the widespread use of SVG graphics in modern web design. Attackers can craft malicious SVG documents that, when loaded by an affected browser, trigger the memory corruption through the flawed casting mechanism. The vulnerability's potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that beyond simple denial of service, it may provide opportunities for information disclosure, privilege escalation, or arbitrary code execution depending on the execution context and memory layout. This aligns with common attack patterns found in memory corruption vulnerabilities that are often categorized under CWE-121 for heap-based buffer overflow or CWE-122 for stack-based buffer overflow, though the specific nature of the casting error requires careful analysis of the memory access patterns involved.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2010-4199 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 7.0.517.44 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the improper casting operation. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all Chrome installations are updated promptly, as this vulnerability could be exploited in the wild. Network administrators may consider implementing web content filtering solutions that can detect and block potentially malicious SVG content, though this approach should not replace proper patching. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust type checking and memory safety mechanisms in browser rendering engines, highlighting how seemingly minor implementation flaws in core parsing functions can create significant security risks. This aligns with ATT&CK techniques related to privilege escalation and code execution through memory corruption vulnerabilities, emphasizing the need for comprehensive browser security hardening measures including sandboxing and memory protection mechanisms.