CVE-2011-2349 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 related to text selection.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/13/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2349 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 or deallocated, creating potential for arbitrary code execution or system instability. The specific issue manifests during text selection operations within the browser's rendering engine, making it particularly dangerous as text manipulation is a fundamental browser function that users perform regularly. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software applications.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves manipulating text selection behaviors in ways that trigger memory management errors within Chrome's JavaScript engine and rendering components. When users interact with text elements on web pages, the browser's internal memory structures responsible for managing text selection data become corrupted due to improper memory deallocation. This memory corruption can lead to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, browser instability, and potentially more severe consequences depending on how the freed memory is subsequently utilized. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that, when loaded in the affected browser version, trigger the vulnerable code path during normal text selection operations.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to end users and organizations relying on Chrome as their primary browser. The potential for remote code execution means that attackers could gain unauthorized access to systems, execute malicious payloads, or escalate privileges depending on the execution environment. The denial of service aspect affects availability by causing browser crashes and rendering pages unusable, which can disrupt productivity and user experience. The unspecified other impacts referenced in the vulnerability description suggest potential for more severe consequences including privilege escalation, information disclosure, or complete system compromise depending on the attack vector and target environment configuration.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-2349 focus primarily on immediate browser updates to versions 12.0.742.112 and later, which contain the necessary patches to address the memory management issues. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all systems are updated promptly, as this vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild. Additional protective measures include deploying web application firewalls, implementing content security policies, and using browser hardening techniques such as sandboxing and privilege separation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059 which covers command and control through application execution, and T1499 which addresses network denial of service attacks. Security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and implement intrusion detection systems to identify potential attack patterns targeting this specific memory corruption vulnerability.