CVE-2011-3890 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 15.0.874.102 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to video source handling.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/24/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3890 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 15.0.874.102 that fundamentally compromises the browser's memory management integrity. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory locations after they have been freed, creating opportunities for malicious exploitation. The specific weakness manifests within Chrome's video source handling mechanisms, where improper memory deallocation during multimedia processing creates a window for attackers to manipulate memory states. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which is classified as a serious memory safety issue that can lead to arbitrary code execution or system instability.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting malicious video content or web pages that trigger specific conditions during video source processing. When Chrome encounters such malformed media data, the browser's internal handling routines may prematurely free memory structures while still maintaining references to them. Attackers can leverage this timing issue to overwrite freed memory with malicious data, potentially redirecting execution flow or corrupting critical system components. The remote attack vector means that adversaries can exploit this flaw through web-based delivery without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous in the context of modern browser security. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 which involves the exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities to achieve remote code execution or system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-3890 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to potentially enable full system compromise. While the vulnerability description mentions possible unspecified other impacts, the use-after-free nature typically allows for more severe consequences including privilege escalation, arbitrary code execution, and complete browser sandbox bypass. The affected Chrome versions were widely deployed across enterprise and consumer environments, amplifying the potential attack surface significantly. Organizations running vulnerable versions faced increased risk of targeted attacks, as the vulnerability could be exploited through various web delivery methods including malicious websites, email attachments, or compromised web services. The exploitability of this flaw was particularly concerning given Chrome's role as a primary browser for web-based productivity and communication applications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3890 primarily focus on immediate remediation through Chrome version updates to 15.0.874.102 or later releases. System administrators should prioritize patch management to ensure all affected browser installations are updated promptly, as the vulnerability exists in the core browser memory management system. Additional protective measures include implementing web application firewalls, content filtering systems, and browser security policies that restrict multimedia content processing. Organizations should also consider deploying sandboxing technologies and privilege separation mechanisms to limit the potential impact of successful exploits. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security updates and the need for comprehensive browser security monitoring, as use-after-free issues often require complex debugging and memory analysis to identify and resolve effectively. Security teams should also implement network-based detection systems capable of identifying suspicious video content patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.