CVE-2011-2804 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 13.0.782.107 does not properly handle nested functions in PDF documents, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/12/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-2804 affects Google Chrome versions prior to 13.0.782.107 and relates to improper handling of nested functions within PDF documents. This flaw exists in the browser's PDF rendering engine, specifically in how it processes nested function structures that occur within PDF files. The issue manifests when Chrome encounters malformed or specially crafted PDF documents containing deeply nested function calls that exceed the browser's processing capabilities or trigger unexpected behavior in its PDF parser implementation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and error handling within Chrome's PDF rendering components. When processing PDF documents, the browser's JavaScript engine interacts with embedded PDF functions to render content properly. In vulnerable versions, nested function structures that exceed predetermined recursion limits or memory thresholds cause the browser to crash or behave unpredictably. This represents a classic stack overflow or resource exhaustion scenario where the PDF processing engine fails to properly manage function call depth or memory allocation during parsing operations. The flaw falls under the category of improper input validation and insufficient error handling as defined by CWE-20.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for users who may encounter malicious PDF documents in email attachments, web downloads, or malicious websites. Attackers can craft PDF files containing deeply nested function calls designed to trigger the browser crash, resulting in denial of service conditions that prevent users from accessing legitimate PDF content. The potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that beyond simple crashes, the vulnerability might allow for more sophisticated exploitation techniques that could potentially lead to arbitrary code execution or information disclosure. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation and information gathering.
The impact extends beyond simple application instability as users may experience complete browser crashes, rendering the system temporarily unusable for PDF viewing activities. Organizations relying on Chrome for document viewing may face productivity losses and increased support requests when users encounter problematic PDF content. The vulnerability particularly affects environments where users frequently access PDF documents from untrusted sources, making it a significant concern for enterprise security. The fact that this issue affects the PDF rendering engine within the browser's sandboxed environment means that exploitation could potentially bypass some traditional security boundaries, though the specific attack vectors remain limited to PDF document manipulation. Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate browser updates to patched versions, implementation of PDF content filtering mechanisms, and user education regarding safe PDF handling practices to minimize exposure to crafted malicious documents.