CVE-2011-1191 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 10.0.648.127 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to the handling of DOM URLs.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1191 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 10.0.648.127 that enables remote attackers to exploit the browser through improper handling of DOM URLs. This particular vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which occurs when a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed, potentially leading to unpredictable behavior and system compromise. The flaw specifically manifests during the processing of Document Object Model URLs within the browser's rendering engine, creating a dangerous scenario where memory corruption can occur when objects are accessed beyond their intended lifecycle.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting malicious web content that triggers the improper memory management during DOM URL processing, allowing attackers to manipulate the browser's memory state. When Chrome encounters certain malformed or specially crafted DOM URLs, the browser's memory management system fails to properly handle the reference counting or garbage collection process, resulting in a situation where freed memory locations are still being accessed by subsequent operations. This memory corruption can lead to various outcomes including browser crashes, denial of service conditions, or potentially more severe consequences such as arbitrary code execution depending on the specific memory layout and exploitation techniques employed by threat actors.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-1191 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios as the use-after-free condition creates opportunities for more sophisticated attacks within the browser environment. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to cause browser instability and crashes, effectively disrupting user sessions and potentially creating opportunities for information disclosure or privilege escalation. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it operates within the browser's core rendering and memory management systems, making it difficult to detect and prevent through standard security measures. The exploitation requires remote access through web content delivery, making it a significant threat vector for widespread compromise of user systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1191 primarily focus on immediate patch deployment and browser updates to versions that contain the necessary memory management fixes. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected Chrome installations to version 10.0.648.127 or later, as this release contains the specific patches addressing the memory handling issues related to DOM URL processing. Additional protective measures include implementing web content filtering solutions that can detect and block malicious DOM URL patterns, enabling browser security features such as sandboxing and memory protection mechanisms, and conducting regular security assessments of web applications to identify potential exploitation vectors. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust memory management practices and proper input validation in browser security architectures, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.003 for command and scripting interpreter usage and T1489 for network denial of service, as the exploitation can lead to system instability and service disruption.