CVE-2011-3074 in iOS
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 18.0.1025.151 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to the handling of media.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/11/2025
The CVE-2011-3074 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 18.0.1025.151 that specifically impacts the browser's media handling capabilities. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, where a program continues to reference memory after it has been freed, creating potential for arbitrary code execution or system instability. The flaw manifests during the processing of multimedia content, particularly when Chrome encounters certain media elements that trigger improper memory management during the handling of media resources. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by crafting malicious web content that forces Chrome to free memory associated with media objects while simultaneously attempting to access that same memory location, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential system compromise.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the use-after-free condition can potentially enable remote code execution in certain circumstances. When Chrome processes media content, the browser allocates memory for media objects such as audio streams, video elements, or multimedia plugins, and the improper handling of these allocations during object destruction creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory state. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that users can be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites or viewing crafted media content, making it particularly dangerous in web browsing environments. This type of vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries leverage browser vulnerabilities to execute arbitrary code on target systems through web-based attacks.
The technical nature of this vulnerability demonstrates a fundamental flaw in Chrome's memory management system when dealing with media resources, particularly in how the browser handles object lifecycle management. During media processing, Chrome allocates memory for various media components including buffers, decoder objects, and rendering structures, and the improper cleanup of these resources creates the conditions for use-after-free exploitation. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that media processing is a common browser activity, making the attack surface relatively broad. When the browser encounters specific media elements or sequences that trigger the flawed memory management path, it can lead to memory corruption that adversaries may leverage for privilege escalation or system compromise. The vulnerability's classification as unspecified other impacts in the original description suggests potential for more severe consequences beyond simple denial of service, including potential for remote code execution depending on the memory layout and exploitation conditions. Organizations should prioritize updating to Chrome version 18.0.1025.151 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the fix addresses the underlying memory management issues in the browser's media handling components.