CVE-2011-3035 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 17.0.963.65 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors involving SVG use elements.
Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/13/2021
The CVE-2011-3035 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 17.0.963.65 that specifically targets the browser's handling of Scalable Vector Graphics elements. This vulnerability resides within the browser's rendering engine and manifests when processing SVG use elements that reference external resources. The flaw occurs when the browser attempts to free memory associated with an SVG element that is still being referenced elsewhere in the document structure, creating a scenario where subsequent access to that memory location results in undefined behavior. Such memory management issues are particularly dangerous in web browsers where arbitrary code execution can occur through memory corruption exploits.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the improper handling of reference counting and memory deallocation within Chrome's SVG processing subsystem. When an SVG use element references another element through the xlink:href attribute, the browser's garbage collector may prematurely free the referenced object while other parts of the rendering pipeline still maintain references to it. This creates a use-after-free condition that can be exploited by remote attackers who craft malicious SVG content designed to trigger this specific memory management race condition. The vulnerability falls under CWE-416 which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, making it a classic example of improper memory management in web browser contexts.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable remote code execution in certain circumstances. While the primary reported impact is denial of service through browser crashes, the underlying memory corruption nature suggests that sophisticated attackers could leverage this flaw to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The vulnerability affects all versions of Chrome before 17.0.963.65, representing a significant attack surface given Chrome's widespread adoption. Attackers could deliver malicious SVG content through various vectors including compromised websites, email attachments, or malicious advertisements, making this a particularly dangerous vulnerability for end users. The exploitation potential aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which covers exploitation for execution through memory corruption vulnerabilities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3035 primarily involve immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to 17.0.963.65 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes. Organizations should also implement web content filtering measures to restrict access to untrusted SVG content, particularly in environments where users may encounter malicious content. Browser security enhancements including sandboxing, address space layout randomization, and heap corruption detection mechanisms provide additional defense layers. System administrators should monitor for exploitation attempts through network security monitoring tools and implement proper incident response procedures. The vulnerability underscores the importance of keeping browser software updated and demonstrates how memory management flaws in complex rendering engines can create significant security risks that extend far beyond simple denial of service conditions.