CVE-2011-3023 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 17.0.963.56 allows user-assisted remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to drag-and-drop operations.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/21/2021
The CVE-2011-3023 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 17.0.963.56 that specifically targets the browser's drag-and-drop functionality implementation. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category, which encompasses use-after-free conditions where memory is accessed after it has been freed, creating potential exploitation vectors for malicious actors. The flaw manifests when Chrome processes drag-and-drop operations, particularly during the handling of HTML5 drag events that involve complex DOM manipulation and memory management operations. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through user-assisted remote exploitation, meaning that a victim must interact with a malicious webpage or content for the attack to succeed, though the actual exploitation does not require additional privileges beyond normal browsing activities.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves manipulating drag-and-drop operations in a way that causes Chrome's rendering engine to free memory associated with DOM elements while still maintaining references to those elements. When subsequent drag operations attempt to access the freed memory locations, the browser experiences undefined behavior that can manifest as application crashes, memory corruption, or potentially more severe consequences depending on the specific memory layout and timing of the operations. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service since the use-after-free condition can potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code in the context of the browser process, making it a significant security concern for users who browse the internet regularly. The flaw demonstrates a classic memory safety issue where proper memory lifecycle management fails during complex web interactions, particularly those involving HTML5 features that require sophisticated DOM handling.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates substantial risk for organizations and individual users who rely on Chrome as their primary web browser. The user-assisted nature of the attack means that social engineering may be required to get victims to visit malicious sites, but once triggered, the vulnerability can lead to complete browser compromise or system instability. The vulnerability's presence in Chrome versions up to 17.0.963.56 indicates that it was a significant enough issue to warrant immediate patching, as it represents a fundamental flaw in how the browser handles memory management during interactive web operations. Organizations using older Chrome versions are particularly vulnerable since the patch for this vulnerability was released as part of Chrome's regular update cycle, making it essential for security teams to maintain up-to-date browser installations. The impact of such vulnerabilities extends to enterprise environments where browser-based attacks are a common vector for initial compromise, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access or escalate privileges within network boundaries.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3023 primarily focus on immediate patching and browser version management, as the vulnerability was resolved through Chrome's security updates that addressed the memory management issues in drag-and-drop operations. Security teams should implement automated patch management systems to ensure all Chrome installations are updated to version 17.0.963.56 or later, which contains the necessary memory safety improvements. Additionally, organizations can implement browser security policies that limit drag-and-drop functionality in sensitive environments or use sandboxing techniques to contain potential exploitation attempts. Network-based protections such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems can help detect and block malicious content that might attempt to exploit this vulnerability, though the most effective defense remains keeping all browser installations current with security patches. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify similar memory safety issues in web browsers and other complex software applications that handle user input through interactive features.