CVE-2011-3033 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Skia, as used in Google Chrome before 17.0.963.65, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/30/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3033 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within the Skia graphics library component that forms part of Google Chrome's rendering stack prior to version 17.0.963.65. This issue resides in the core graphics rendering engine responsible for processing and displaying visual elements across web pages, making it a prime target for exploitation by malicious actors seeking to compromise user systems. The Skia library serves as a fundamental component in Chrome's architecture, handling everything from basic shapes and text rendering to complex graphics operations, which amplifies the potential impact of this vulnerability.
The technical nature of this buffer overflow stems from inadequate bounds checking within Skia's graphics processing functions, particularly when handling malformed or specially crafted graphic data structures. Attackers can exploit this weakness by delivering malicious content that triggers the vulnerable code path during graphics rendering operations. The vulnerability's classification as a buffer overflow aligns with CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions where insufficient checks allow attackers to overwrite adjacent memory locations. This flaw operates at the intersection of memory safety and graphics processing, where the overflow can potentially overwrite critical program state, function pointers, or return addresses, enabling arbitrary code execution or system instability.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to Chrome users since it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The potential impact extends beyond simple denial of service to include unspecified other impacts that could encompass remote code execution, privilege escalation, or information disclosure. The vulnerability's exploitation vector remains largely unknown, which suggests that attackers may have discovered multiple attack paths or that the flaw exists in multiple code locations within the Skia library. This uncertainty makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as defenders cannot fully anticipate all possible exploitation techniques.
The security implications of CVE-2011-3033 align with several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage and T1203 for exploitation for client execution, as the vulnerability enables attackers to execute arbitrary code on compromised systems. The flaw also relates to T1190 for exploitation of remote services through web applications, given that it affects a browser component that processes web content. Organizations and users should prioritize immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to mitigate this risk, as the vulnerability existed in widely deployed browser versions and could be exploited through standard web browsing activities without user awareness. The incident highlights the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date software and implementing robust security practices for browser components that handle untrusted content.
The remediation approach for this vulnerability requires immediate deployment of Chrome version 17.0.963.65 or later, which includes patches addressing the buffer overflow conditions within the Skia library. Security teams should implement comprehensive monitoring for any exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability and establish incident response procedures to handle potential compromise scenarios. The vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical nature of graphics libraries in modern browsers and the need for continuous security assessment of core rendering components that process potentially malicious content from the internet.