CVE-2011-1804 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
rendering/RenderBox.cpp in WebCore in WebKit before r86862, as used in Google Chrome before 11.0.696.71, does not properly render floats, 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."
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/07/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1804 resides within the WebCore rendering engine of WebKit browser framework, specifically in the rendering/RenderBox.cpp component. This flaw affects Google Chrome versions prior to 11.0.696.71 and represents a critical issue in the browser's handling of floating element rendering. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management during the rendering process, creating conditions where stale pointers can persist in memory after objects have been deallocated or modified. This type of memory corruption vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues that can lead to unpredictable behavior in software applications.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs when WebKit processes floating elements within web page layouts. During the rendering process, the RenderBox.cpp component fails to properly manage the lifecycle of pointer references associated with floating elements. When these elements are removed or modified during page rendering, stale pointers may remain in memory, pointing to deallocated memory regions or objects that have changed structure. This memory management failure creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate the browser's rendering engine through carefully crafted web content that triggers the specific code path leading to the stale pointer condition.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-1804 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to potentially enable more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution or information disclosure. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by constructing malicious web pages that trigger the specific rendering conditions causing stale pointer behavior. The vulnerability's potential for unspecified other impacts suggests it may provide a foothold for additional attack vectors, as stale pointer conditions often indicate deeper memory corruption issues that could be leveraged for privilege escalation or system compromise. This aligns with attack patterns documented in the attack tree framework where memory corruption vulnerabilities serve as entry points for more sophisticated exploitation techniques.
Security practitioners should implement immediate mitigation strategies including updating to patched versions of Google Chrome, specifically version 11.0.696.71 or later, which contain fixes for the memory management issues in WebCore's rendering engine. Browser vendors and system administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as sandboxing mechanisms and memory protection features that can help contain the impact of such vulnerabilities even when they are present. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in browser engines and highlights the need for rigorous code review processes focused on pointer handling and object lifecycle management. This issue aligns with CWE-415, which addresses double free errors and improper memory management, and represents a classic example of how memory safety issues can lead to severe security implications in complex software systems.