CVE-2011-3079 in Firefox
Summary
by MITRE
The Inter-process Communication (IPC) implementation in Google Chrome before 18.0.1025.168, as used in Mozilla Firefox before 38.0 and other products, does not properly validate messages, which has unspecified impact and attack vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/25/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3079 resides within the inter-process communication framework of Google Chrome versions prior to 18.0.1025.168 and affects Mozilla Firefox versions before 38.0 and other affected products. This issue stems from insufficient validation mechanisms within the IPC implementation that governs how different processes within the browser communicate with each other. The IPC system serves as a critical component in modern web browsers, facilitating communication between the main browser process and isolated renderer processes that handle web content execution. When processes need to exchange data or commands, they rely on well-defined message protocols that must be rigorously validated to prevent malicious interference. The weakness in the validation process creates a potential pathway for attackers to manipulate or inject malicious data into these communication channels without proper authorization or verification.
The technical flaw manifests in the absence of proper message validation mechanisms within the IPC layer, allowing attackers to potentially craft and send malformed or unauthorized messages that could be processed by the target application. This type of vulnerability falls under the broader category of improper input validation, which is classified as CWE-20 by the Common Weakness Enumeration system. The lack of validation creates opportunities for various attack vectors including privilege escalation, information disclosure, and potentially arbitrary code execution within the context of the vulnerable application. Attackers could exploit this weakness by leveraging the IPC communication channels to send specially crafted messages that bypass normal security checks, potentially leading to unauthorized access to system resources or execution of malicious code within the browser environment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple exploitation scenarios, as it represents a fundamental flaw in the browser's security architecture that could affect user data integrity and system confidentiality. When an attacker successfully exploits this vulnerability, they may gain access to sensitive information or escalate privileges within the browser's execution environment, potentially compromising the user's browsing session and system security. The unspecified impact and attack vectors mentioned in the original description suggest that the vulnerability could be leveraged in multiple ways depending on the specific implementation details and target environment. This characteristic makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous as it could be adapted for various attack scenarios including but not limited to cross-site scripting attacks, privilege escalation, or information leakage from the browser's isolated processes.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3079 primarily focus on updating to patched versions of the affected software, specifically Chrome versions 18.0.1025.168 and later, Firefox versions 38.0 and later, and other products that have addressed this IPC validation weakness. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of security patches to protect against potential exploitation of this vulnerability. Additionally, implementing network-level monitoring and intrusion detection systems can help identify anomalous IPC communication patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and sanitization in all inter-process communication implementations, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for process injection and T1068 for exploit for privilege escalation. Security teams should also consider implementing application whitelisting and strict process isolation measures to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts, particularly in environments where multiple browser processes interact with each other and with system resources.