CVE-2011-1197 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 10.0.648.127 does not properly perform table painting, 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."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1197 represents a critical flaw in Google Chrome's rendering engine that affects versions prior to 10.0.648.127. This issue stems from improper handling of table painting operations within the browser's graphics rendering subsystem, creating a condition where memory management becomes compromised during the display of tabular content. The flaw manifests when Chrome processes HTML tables and encounters specific rendering scenarios that trigger memory corruption, leading to unpredictable behavior in the browser's operation.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the browser's failure to properly manage memory pointers during table rendering operations. When Chrome encounters certain table structures or rendering conditions, it may retain references to memory locations that have already been freed or reallocated, creating what is known as a stale pointer condition. This memory management error can occur during the painting phase of table elements, where the graphics subsystem attempts to redraw or update table content while maintaining references to outdated memory addresses. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-462 category of "Use of a Pointer After Deallocation" and represents a classic example of memory corruption that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as it can potentially enable remote code execution or other unspecified security impacts. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages containing specially formatted table structures that trigger the vulnerable code path when displayed in Chrome. The stale pointer condition can cause the browser to crash or behave unpredictably, potentially allowing attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code on the target system. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise through browser-based attacks.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1197 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 10.0.648.127 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the memory management issues in table rendering. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all Chrome installations are updated promptly, as this vulnerability can be exploited through web-based attack vectors. Additional defensive measures include implementing web application firewalls, deploying content security policies to restrict potentially malicious content, and utilizing browser hardening techniques that limit the attack surface. Network monitoring should be enhanced to detect suspicious web traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts, while regular security assessments should verify that all systems are properly patched and configured to prevent unauthorized access through this vulnerability.