CVE-2011-0981 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 9.0.597.94 does not properly perform event handling for animations, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors that lead to a "stale pointer."
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/17/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0981 affects Google Chrome versions prior to 9.0.597.94 and stems from improper event handling during animation processing. This flaw represents a critical security issue that could be exploited by remote attackers to disrupt system functionality or potentially execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability manifests through a stale pointer condition that occurs during the browser's animation event processing mechanisms, creating a scenario where memory references become invalid while still being accessed by the application's rendering engine.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in Chrome's handling of animation events within its web rendering pipeline. When animations are processed, the browser maintains references to various DOM elements and their associated event handlers. However, during certain animation transitions or when elements are removed from the document while animations are still active, the browser fails to properly invalidate these memory pointers. This stale pointer condition creates a memory management issue that can lead to unpredictable behavior when the application attempts to access freed memory locations. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-476 category of NULL Pointer Dereference, though it specifically manifests as a stale pointer scenario that can be leveraged for more severe consequences.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to users of affected Chrome versions. Remote attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious web pages that trigger specific animation sequences, leading to denial of service conditions where the browser crashes or becomes unresponsive. The potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that the stale pointer condition could be escalated to more serious consequences including arbitrary code execution, particularly when combined with other exploitation techniques. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in environments where users may encounter untrusted web content, such as corporate networks or public browsing scenarios.
The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption to potentially compromise the entire browsing session and underlying system resources. When a stale pointer is dereferenced, it can cause memory corruption that may allow attackers to manipulate the browser's execution flow or inject malicious code into the process. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, where attackers might leverage such memory corruption to execute malicious payloads. The vulnerability demonstrates how seemingly benign features like animations can become attack vectors when proper memory management protocols are not implemented.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-0981 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 9.0.597.94 or later, which contain patches addressing the animation event handling and memory management issues. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly. Additionally, browser hardening measures including disabling unnecessary animation features, implementing content security policies, and using sandboxing mechanisms can provide additional protection layers. Security monitoring should include detection of unusual browser crash patterns or memory access violations that might indicate exploitation attempts. Network-based protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help identify and block malicious payloads targeting this vulnerability. The remediation process should also include user education about avoiding untrusted web content and maintaining updated browser versions to prevent exploitation of this and similar memory corruption vulnerabilities.