CVE-2011-3071 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the HTMLMediaElement implementation in Google Chrome before 18.0.1025.151 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 • 01/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3071 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within Google Chrome's HTMLMediaElement implementation, affecting versions prior to 18.0.1025.151. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions where memory is accessed after it has been freed, creating potential exploitation opportunities for remote attackers. The HTMLMediaElement component is fundamental to web browsers as it handles multimedia content including audio and video playback, making it a prime target for malicious actors seeking to compromise browser security. The vulnerability manifests in the way Chrome manages memory allocation and deallocation when processing media elements, creating scenarios where freed memory blocks can be accessed or reused by malicious code.
The technical exploitation of this use-after-free vulnerability enables remote attackers to manipulate the browser's memory management system through carefully crafted web content. Attackers can potentially trigger the vulnerability by constructing malicious HTML pages containing specific media element configurations that cause the browser to free memory associated with HTMLMediaElement objects while still maintaining references to them. This creates a window of opportunity where malicious code can overwrite freed memory with malicious data or execute arbitrary code within the browser context. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the vulnerability description suggest potential privilege escalation or information disclosure scenarios that could be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks beyond simple denial of service.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-3071 extends beyond simple denial of service, as the use-after-free condition can lead to browser crashes, system instability, and potentially full system compromise depending on the execution environment. When exploited successfully, this vulnerability can cause browsers to crash repeatedly, rendering the affected system unusable for multimedia content access, while the underlying memory corruption could enable attackers to execute code with the privileges of the browser process. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers can leverage the compromised browser to execute malicious scripts and potentially escalate privileges. The widespread adoption of Google Chrome as a primary web browser means that exploitation of this vulnerability could affect millions of users globally, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise and consumer environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3071 primarily focus on immediate patching and updating to affected versions of Google Chrome where the vulnerability has been addressed through memory management improvements and proper object lifecycle handling. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies to ensure all systems receive security patches promptly, as this vulnerability represents a classic memory safety issue that could be exploited in zero-day attacks. Additionally, browser hardening measures such as sandboxing, address space layout randomization, and strict memory access controls can provide defense-in-depth protection against exploitation attempts. Network-level controls including web application firewalls and content filtering systems can help prevent access to malicious content that might trigger this vulnerability, while user education regarding safe browsing practices remains essential for reducing attack surface exposure. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in web browser implementations and highlights the need for continuous security auditing of core browser components that handle multimedia content processing.