CVE-2011-3889 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Web Audio implementation in Google Chrome before 15.0.874.102 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 • 11/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3889 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow within Google Chrome's Web Audio API implementation. This flaw existed in Chrome versions prior to 15.0.874.102 and demonstrates a classic memory corruption vulnerability that can be exploited remotely. The Web Audio API is a powerful JavaScript interface that enables web applications to process and synthesize audio in real-time, making it a valuable target for attackers seeking to compromise browser security. The heap-based nature of this overflow indicates that the vulnerability occurs when the application attempts to write data beyond the allocated memory boundaries within the heap memory region, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system instability.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting malicious audio content or JavaScript code that triggers the buffer overflow condition within the Web Audio implementation. Attackers can leverage this flaw through various vectors including malicious websites, compromised web pages, or phishing campaigns that deliver crafted audio data to unsuspecting users. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the CVE description suggest that beyond simple denial of service, this vulnerability could potentially enable remote code execution or privilege escalation depending on the specific exploitation scenario and target system configuration. The heap overflow condition can corrupt adjacent memory locations, potentially overwriting critical program data structures or function pointers, which could lead to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, memory corruption, or complete system compromise.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to users of affected Chrome versions as it can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service as the buffer overflow could potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks including privilege escalation or information disclosure. Organizations using affected Chrome versions face potential exposure to advanced persistent threats where attackers could establish persistent access to systems through this vulnerability. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-121 heap-based buffer overflow classification and represents a critical threat in the context of browser security. Attackers utilizing techniques from the attack pattern taxonomy would likely employ methods such as memory corruption exploitation, code injection, or privilege escalation to maximize the impact of this vulnerability.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3889 primarily focus on immediate patch deployment and browser version updates to the fixed Chrome version 15.0.874.102 or later. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive the security update promptly. Additional defensive measures include implementing web application firewalls, network-based intrusion detection systems, and browser security hardening configurations. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser software and implementing security controls such as sandboxing, privilege separation, and memory protection mechanisms. Security teams should also consider implementing monitoring for suspicious web traffic patterns and anomalous browser behavior that could indicate exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify and remediate similar vulnerabilities in web browsers and other software components. The incident highlights the necessity of following security best practices such as principle of least privilege, regular security updates, and comprehensive security awareness training for users to prevent successful exploitation of browser-based vulnerabilities.