CVE-2011-1305 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Race condition in Google Chrome before 11.0.696.57 on Linux and Mac OS X allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to linked lists and a database.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1305 represents a critical race condition flaw discovered in Google Chrome versions prior to 11.0.696.57 on Linux and Mac OS X operating systems. This issue stems from improper handling of linked list operations within Chrome's database management subsystem, creating a window of opportunity for malicious actors to exploit temporal inconsistencies in the software's memory management processes. The race condition occurs when multiple threads attempt to access and modify linked list structures simultaneously, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential system instability.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of database operations that utilize linked list data structures to maintain ordered collections of data elements. When Chrome processes database queries or updates, the race condition allows attackers to interfere with the linked list manipulation routines, potentially causing memory corruption or improper pointer handling. This flaw specifically affects the database subsystem that Chrome uses for various operations including storing browsing history, form data, and other persistent user information. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities, making it accessible to remote attackers without requiring any special privileges or local access.
From an operational impact perspective, this race condition presents significant security risks that extend beyond simple denial of service attacks. While the primary effect manifests as system instability and potential crashes, the unspecified other impacts referenced in the CVE description suggest that attackers might be able to leverage this vulnerability for more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability could potentially enable privilege escalation, memory corruption leading to arbitrary code execution, or information disclosure through careful manipulation of the database linked list structures. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web content that triggers the race condition during database operations, causing Chrome to behave unpredictably and potentially allowing for further exploitation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-362, which describes race conditions in software systems where multiple threads or processes access shared resources concurrently without proper synchronization mechanisms. This classification highlights the fundamental flaw in Chrome's thread safety implementation within its database management components. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including privilege escalation through software exploitation and denial of service via system instability. The attack surface is particularly concerning given Chrome's widespread usage and the fact that the vulnerability can be triggered through standard web browsing activities, making it an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking to compromise user systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1305 require immediate software updates to Chrome versions 11.0.696.57 and later, which contain the necessary fixes for the race condition in database linked list operations. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all Chrome installations are updated promptly, particularly in enterprise environments where multiple users access the internet through shared browser instances. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing web filtering solutions and browser security extensions that can help detect and block malicious content that might trigger this vulnerability. The fix implemented by Google addresses the synchronization issues in the database subsystem, ensuring proper locking mechanisms are in place when modifying linked list structures during concurrent database operations, thereby eliminating the race condition window that attackers could exploit.