CVE-2011-2346 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 12.0.742.112 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors involving SVG fonts.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2346 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome browser versions prior to 12.0.742.112. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed, creating potential exploitation opportunities for malicious actors. The specific vector involves SVG font handling within the browser's rendering engine, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through web content that displays scalable vector graphics with embedded font information.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management during the processing of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) font elements. When Chrome encounters an SVG font definition, the browser allocates memory for font rendering operations and subsequently frees this memory upon completion of the operation. However, in affected versions, the browser fails to properly invalidate references to this freed memory, allowing attackers to manipulate the system's memory state. This memory corruption can occur during the parsing and rendering of SVG font data, particularly when the font definition contains malformed or maliciously crafted elements that trigger the specific memory management flaw.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the use-after-free condition can potentially enable remote code execution or arbitrary code execution within the browser context. Attackers can craft malicious web pages containing specially formatted SVG font data that, when rendered by the vulnerable browser, triggers the memory corruption. This allows for exploitation of the vulnerability in a remote attack scenario where the attacker does not require local system access. The vulnerability affects the browser's rendering engine and can potentially be leveraged to execute malicious code with the privileges of the browser process, which typically operates with limited system privileges but still presents significant security risks.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses the use of freed memory condition, and represents a classic example of improper memory management in web browser implementations. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under the T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution technique, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code through browser-based exploitation. The remote nature of the attack vector makes this particularly concerning for enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious content through web browsing activities, email attachments, or compromised websites. Organizations should prioritize patching affected systems immediately, as the vulnerability could be actively exploited in the wild, and implement additional security measures such as web application firewalls and browser hardening configurations to mitigate potential exploitation attempts.
The remediation approach for CVE-2011-2346 requires immediate deployment of Google Chrome version 12.0.742.112 or later, which includes memory management fixes specifically addressing the SVG font handling issue. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security controls including browser sandboxing, content filtering, and regular security updates to prevent exploitation of similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in complex software systems and highlights the need for continuous security testing and code review processes to identify and remediate such flaws before they can be exploited by malicious actors.