CVE-2011-3060 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 18.0.1025.142 does not properly handle text fragments, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3060 represents a critical out-of-bounds read flaw within Google Chrome versions prior to 18.0.1025.142. This issue specifically manifests in the browser's handling of text fragments, which are components used to represent portions of text within web documents. The flaw occurs when Chrome processes text fragments that contain malformed or unexpected data structures, leading to memory access violations that can result in application instability and potential system compromise.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in insufficient input validation and boundary checking within Chrome's text rendering engine. When processing text fragments, the browser fails to properly validate the length and structure of these fragments before attempting to access memory locations. This allows malicious actors to craft specially crafted web content that triggers memory access beyond allocated boundaries, resulting in unpredictable behavior including application crashes, memory corruption, or potential code execution. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of memory safety and web content processing, making it particularly dangerous in web browsing environments where users encounter diverse and potentially malicious content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to users of affected Chrome versions, as it enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through web-based vectors. The out-of-bounds read condition can be exploited by hosting malicious web content that, when rendered by the vulnerable browser, causes the application to crash or behave unpredictably. This type of vulnerability can be leveraged in various attack scenarios including drive-by downloads, malicious advertising networks, or social engineering campaigns where users are tricked into visiting compromised websites. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption, as memory corruption can potentially lead to more severe consequences depending on the execution environment and system configuration.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions in software systems, and demonstrates the ongoing challenges in memory safety within modern web browsers. This flaw also relates to ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation of software vulnerabilities for privilege escalation or system compromise. Security professionals should note that this vulnerability represents a classic example of how seemingly minor input validation issues can result in significant security implications in complex software systems like web browsers. The remediation approach involves updating to Chrome version 18.0.1025.142 or later, which includes proper boundary checking and input validation for text fragment processing. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly, as this vulnerability can be exploited remotely without user interaction and affects a wide range of computing environments where Chrome is deployed.