CVE-2011-1443 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 11.0.696.57 does not properly implement layering, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors that lead to "stale pointers."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1443 affects Google Chrome versions prior to 11.0.696.57 and represents a critical implementation flaw in the browser's memory management and rendering layering mechanisms. This issue stems from improper handling of memory pointers within Chrome's architecture, specifically when dealing with layered graphical elements and their associated memory references. The flaw manifests when the browser fails to correctly manage the lifecycle of memory pointers, creating conditions where stale pointers can persist in memory even after the referenced objects have been deallocated or modified.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves Chrome's rendering engine failing to properly enforce layering boundaries between different graphical components and their associated memory structures. When the browser processes web content that involves complex layered graphics, animations, or dynamic content updates, it creates memory references that should be invalidated upon object destruction. However, due to the flawed layering implementation, these references remain active and point to memory locations that may have been reused or deallocated, creating what are known as stale pointers. These stale pointers can lead to unpredictable behavior when the browser attempts to access the memory locations they reference.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution or information disclosure. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web content that triggers the specific conditions leading to stale pointer dereferencing. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the CVE description suggest that this vulnerability could potentially be leveraged for privilege escalation or information leakage, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios. The vulnerability's exploitation typically requires the victim to visit a malicious website or be tricked into interacting with crafted content that exercises the vulnerable code paths.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-476 which describes "NULL Pointer Dereference" and potentially relates to CWE-125 which covers "Out-of-Bounds Read" conditions. The attack pattern follows techniques described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under T1203 "Exploitation for Client Execution" and T1059 "Command and Scripting Interpreter" as attackers can leverage this flaw to execute malicious code on compromised systems. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic memory safety issue where improper pointer management creates exploitable conditions in modern browser environments where complex rendering and memory management are essential for functionality.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1443 primarily involve immediate patching of Chrome browsers to versions 11.0.696.57 or later where the layering implementation has been corrected. System administrators should also implement browser hardening measures including disabling unnecessary plugins and features, implementing strict content security policies, and using sandboxing technologies to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. Additionally, network-level protections such as web application firewalls and intrusion detection systems can help identify and block exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability. Organizations should conduct regular vulnerability assessments and maintain up-to-date security patches across all browser installations to prevent exploitation of similar memory management flaws.