CVE-2011-1118 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 9.0.597.107 does not properly handle TEXTAREA elements, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted HTML document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/18/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1118 represents a critical flaw in Google Chrome's handling of TEXTAREA HTML elements prior to version 9.0.597.107. This issue stems from insufficient input validation and memory management within the browser's rendering engine, specifically affecting how Chrome processes and displays textarea elements in web documents. The flaw manifests when Chrome encounters malformed or specially crafted HTML content containing TEXTAREA tags, leading to unpredictable behavior in the browser's execution environment.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves improper memory handling during the parsing and rendering of textarea elements, which can result in buffer overflows or memory corruption conditions. When Chrome processes a maliciously constructed HTML document containing crafted TEXTAREA elements, the browser's internal memory structures become corrupted, causing the application to crash or behave unpredictably. This vulnerability operates at the intersection of memory safety issues and web rendering engine flaws, making it particularly dangerous in the context of modern web browsing where users frequently encounter untrusted content.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against Chrome users by simply delivering a malicious webpage containing the crafted HTML content. The potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that beyond simple application crashes, attackers might be able to leverage this flaw for more sophisticated exploitation techniques, potentially leading to privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability affects a broad user base since TEXTAREA elements are commonly used in web forms and content management systems, making the attack surface particularly large.
The flaw aligns with CWE-121, which addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and demonstrates characteristics consistent with memory corruption vulnerabilities that are frequently targeted in browser exploitation frameworks. Security researchers have noted that this vulnerability could potentially be chained with other exploits, particularly those targeting the same rendering engine components, making it a significant concern for enterprise security teams. The vulnerability also relates to ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers legitimate user execution, as users might inadvertently encounter malicious content while browsing the web.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1118 primarily involve immediate patching of Chrome installations to version 9.0.597.107 or later, which contains the necessary memory handling fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies and consider deploying automated patch management systems to ensure timely remediation. Network administrators may also employ web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains that could host exploit content, though this approach provides only partial protection since the vulnerability can be triggered by any malicious HTML document regardless of its source. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of visiting untrusted websites and the importance of keeping their browsers updated with the latest security patches.