CVE-2011-1818 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the image loader in Google Chrome before 12.0.742.91 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/08/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-1818 represents a critical use-after-free condition within Google Chrome's image loading component, affecting versions prior to 12.0.742.91. This type of memory corruption flaw occurs when the browser's image loader module attempts to access memory that has already been freed, creating a dangerous scenario where malicious actors can manipulate the application's memory state. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, making it a well-documented and severe class of memory safety issues that have plagued software systems for decades. The flaw exists in the image processing pipeline where the browser handles various image formats including jpeg, png, and gif, creating multiple potential attack vectors for remote exploitation.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves attackers crafting specially malformed image files or leveraging web content that triggers the vulnerable image loading code path. When Chrome processes these malicious inputs, the image loader allocates memory for image data structures, processes the content, and subsequently frees the memory. However, due to improper memory management logic, the application may still reference this freed memory location, allowing attackers to manipulate the freed memory through controlled input data. This manipulation can occur through various techniques including heap spraying, memory corruption, or by overwriting critical data structures with attacker-controlled values. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service, as the use-after-free condition can potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code, making it a serious security concern that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution through memory corruption.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-1818 manifests in multiple ways including system instability, application crashes, and potential remote code execution capabilities that could allow attackers to compromise user systems. When exploited, this vulnerability could enable attackers to perform privilege escalation, install malware, or establish persistent backdoors on affected systems. The widespread adoption of Google Chrome made this vulnerability particularly dangerous, as millions of users were potentially exposed to remote exploitation. The vulnerability's remote nature means that attackers could exploit it through web browsers without requiring local system access, making it an attractive target for mass deployment attacks. Organizations using older Chrome versions were particularly vulnerable since the fix required immediate patching, and the vulnerability could be weaponized through drive-by downloads or malicious websites. The exploitation complexity for this vulnerability was relatively low, as it required only the delivery of malicious image content through web pages, making it a prime candidate for automated exploitation frameworks that could leverage the use-after-free condition for broader attack campaigns. Security researchers have noted that such vulnerabilities often serve as initial access vectors in more complex attack chains, where the use-after-free serves as a foundation for subsequent privilege escalation and persistence mechanisms. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution risk aligns with industry standards for critical security flaws and demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser software to prevent exploitation of known memory corruption vulnerabilities.