CVE-2011-1803 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
An issue exists in third_party/WebKit/Source/WebCore/svg/animation/SVGSMILElement.h in WebKit in Google Chrome before Blink M11 and M12 when trying to access a removed smil element.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/13/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1803 resides within the WebKit rendering engine's implementation of Scalable Vector Graphics SMIL animation elements. This flaw manifests in the handling of removed SMIL elements during animation processing, creating a potential memory access violation that could be exploited by malicious actors. The issue specifically affects Google Chrome versions prior to the Blink engine transition, where the WebKit component's SVG animation handling contains a critical flaw in element lifecycle management.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management when dealing with SVG SMIL animation elements that have been removed from the document object model. When a SMIL element is removed from the DOM, the WebKit engine's animation processing code continues to reference the freed memory location, leading to undefined behavior and potential code execution. This represents a classic use-after-free vulnerability pattern that falls under CWE-416, specifically addressing the reuse of memory after it has been freed. The flaw occurs during the animation update phase where the system attempts to access properties of a previously destroyed SMIL element, creating an opportunity for attackers to manipulate memory contents through carefully crafted SVG content.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, as it can potentially enable remote code execution in the context of the web browser. Attackers could craft malicious SVG files containing specially constructed SMIL animations that, when rendered by the vulnerable Chrome version, trigger the memory access violation. This could lead to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the browser user, potentially allowing for full system compromise. The vulnerability's exploitation requires the target to view a malicious SVG file, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or when users visit compromised websites. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage browser vulnerabilities to execute malicious code on target systems.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-1803 primarily involve updating to patched versions of Google Chrome that incorporate the Blink engine transition, which resolved the underlying memory management issues in the SVG animation processing. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management protocols to ensure all affected systems receive timely updates. Additionally, browser security configurations can be enhanced through content security policies that restrict SVG loading from untrusted sources, though this approach provides only partial protection. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper memory management in web rendering engines and demonstrates how seemingly minor flaws in animation processing can create significant security risks. Security teams should monitor for similar patterns in other SVG and animation processing components, as the underlying architectural issues may affect related functionality beyond the specific SMIL element handling.