CVE-2011-2790 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 13.0.782.107 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors involving floating styles.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/16/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2790 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 13.0.782.107, specifically impacting the browser's handling of floating CSS styles. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed, creating potential exploitation opportunities for remote attackers. The flaw manifests within Chrome's rendering engine when processing certain floating style elements, which are commonly used in web page layouts to position elements alongside each other. The use-after-free condition arises from improper memory management during the processing of these CSS properties, particularly when the browser attempts to manipulate floating elements that have already been deallocated from memory.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the browser's CSS parsing and rendering pipeline where floating styles are processed through the Document Object Model. When Chrome encounters specific combinations of CSS floating properties, the memory management system fails to properly track references to allocated objects, leading to a scenario where freed memory blocks are accessed again. This memory corruption can occur during normal page rendering operations when the browser attempts to update or redraw floating elements, particularly in complex layouts involving multiple nested or positioned elements. The flaw falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which is classified as a common weakness in software design that directly enables arbitrary code execution or denial of service conditions. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can trigger the condition through malicious web content without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a compromised website.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it potentially enables remote code execution or other unspecified security consequences. When exploited successfully, the use-after-free condition can allow attackers to manipulate the browser's memory space and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the browser process. This represents a significant threat to user security since Chrome operates with extensive privileges on modern operating systems, including access to local files, network communications, and user data. The vulnerability's impact is particularly concerning given Chrome's widespread adoption and the browser's integration with various system services. Attackers could leverage this flaw to perform privilege escalation attacks, install malware, or access sensitive user information through compromised browsing sessions. The vulnerability's classification aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1566.001 for Phishing, as it enables attackers to deliver malicious payloads through compromised web content and establish persistent access through compromised browser sessions.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of Chrome installations to version 13.0.782.107 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies and maintain current security patches across all systems. Additional protective measures include implementing web content filtering solutions, deploying browser security extensions, and establishing network monitoring for suspicious traffic patterns. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of memory safety in browser security architectures and highlights the necessity of robust code review processes for handling dynamic memory allocation. Security professionals should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms and privilege separation techniques to limit the potential impact of such vulnerabilities even when present. The incident underscores the need for continuous security assessment and the importance of adhering to secure coding practices, particularly in complex software systems where memory management errors can have severe consequences. Regular security audits and penetration testing should include specific focus on memory-related vulnerabilities to prevent similar issues from emerging in browser environments and other complex software systems.