CVE-2010-4574 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
The Pickle::Pickle function in base/pickle.cc in Google Chrome before 8.0.552.224 and Chrome OS before 8.0.552.343 on 64-bit Linux platforms does not properly perform pointer arithmetic, which allows remote attackers to bypass message deserialization validation, and cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact, via invalid pickle data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2010-4574 represents a critical flaw in Google Chrome's pickle serialization mechanism that affects versions prior to 8.0.552.224 on desktop platforms and 8.0.552.343 on Chrome OS. This issue specifically targets the Pickle::Pickle function located in base/pickle.cc, which serves as the core component responsible for serializing and deserializing data structures within the browser's architecture. The flaw manifests through improper pointer arithmetic operations that fail to adequately validate the integrity of serialized data during the deserialization process, creating a significant security gap that remote attackers can exploit to manipulate the browser's internal data handling mechanisms.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the failure to properly validate pointer arithmetic when processing pickle data structures, which are commonly used for inter-process communication and internal data serialization within Chrome's architecture. This improper validation allows attackers to craft malicious pickle data that can bypass the normal validation checks designed to ensure data integrity. The flaw specifically affects 64-bit Linux platforms in Chrome OS, indicating a platform-specific implementation issue that may be related to memory addressing differences between 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. When exploited, this vulnerability can enable attackers to manipulate the pickle parsing logic, potentially leading to memory corruption or other undefined behaviors that could result in denial of service conditions or more severe consequences.
The operational impact of CVE-2010-4574 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the vulnerability could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks depending on how the malformed pickle data is processed within the browser's memory space. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the original description suggest that the flaw might provide opportunities for privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution, particularly given that pickle data structures are often used for communication between different browser processes and components. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-129, which covers improper validation of array indices, and can be categorized under ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through serialized objects, making it a significant concern for enterprise security teams managing Chrome deployments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to the fixed releases that contain proper pointer arithmetic validation. Organizations should prioritize updating their Chrome installations to versions 8.0.552.224 or later for desktop platforms and 8.0.552.343 or later for Chrome OS, as these releases contain the necessary fixes to properly validate pickle data during deserialization. Additionally, security teams should implement network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts through malformed pickle data, and consider deploying application whitelisting controls to restrict execution of unauthorized code that might attempt to leverage this vulnerability. The fix implemented by Google likely involved strengthening the validation logic in the Pickle::Pickle function to properly verify pointer arithmetic boundaries and ensure that all serialized data adheres to expected memory layout constraints, thereby preventing attackers from manipulating the deserialization process to achieve unauthorized system access or disruption.