CVE-2011-3024 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 17.0.963.56 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) via an empty X.509 certificate.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/20/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3024 represents a denial of service flaw in Google Chrome browser versions prior to 17.0.963.56. This issue specifically targets the browser's handling of X.509 certificates within the secure communication stack, creating a potential vector for remote attackers to disrupt normal browser operations. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation mechanisms within Chrome's certificate processing subsystem, where the browser fails to properly handle empty or malformed X.509 certificate structures that may be encountered during secure connection establishment.
The technical flaw manifests when Chrome encounters an empty X.509 certificate during SSL/TLS handshake procedures. This particular certificate type lacks essential components such as subject information, issuer details, or cryptographic signatures that are normally present in valid certificates. The browser's certificate validation logic does not adequately protect against such malformed inputs, leading to memory corruption or unexpected execution paths that ultimately result in application crash. This behavior aligns with CWE-121, which describes heap-based buffer overflow conditions, and CWE-122, which covers buffer overflow vulnerabilities in heap data structures. The flaw demonstrates a classic lack of proper bounds checking and input sanitization in cryptographic certificate handling routines.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to perform denial of service attacks against Chrome users by simply presenting a specially crafted empty certificate during web browsing sessions. The attack requires no authentication or specialized privileges, making it particularly dangerous as it can be executed through standard web traffic. When exploited, the vulnerability causes the Chrome browser to crash and restart, interrupting user sessions and potentially providing a vector for more sophisticated attacks if combined with other vulnerabilities. The incident creates a persistent disruption to user productivity and can be leveraged as part of larger attack campaigns targeting browser security. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004 which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1595.001 which covers network reconnaissance activities that can lead to exploitation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve updating to Chrome version 17.0.963.56 or later, which includes patched certificate validation routines that properly handle empty X.509 certificates. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management processes to ensure all browser installations are current with security updates. Additional protective measures include implementing network monitoring to detect unusual certificate exchange patterns, configuring browser security policies to restrict certificate validation behavior, and maintaining awareness of certificate authority practices that might inadvertently introduce malformed certificates into the network traffic. System administrators should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that can identify potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability pattern. The fix implemented by Google addressed the root cause through enhanced input validation and proper error handling in the certificate parsing code, preventing the application crash scenario that previously occurred when processing empty certificate structures.