CVE-2011-3892 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Double free vulnerability in the Theora decoder in Google Chrome before 15.0.874.120 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted stream.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3892 represents a critical double free error within the Theora video decoder component of Google Chrome browser versions prior to 15.0.874.120. This flaw exists in the multimedia processing subsystem that handles Theora encoded video streams, which are commonly used in web applications and multimedia content delivery. The issue stems from improper memory management within the decoder logic where a single memory allocation is freed twice, creating a potential exploitation vector for malicious actors.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the Theora decoder's handling of malformed or crafted video streams that contain specially constructed data sequences. When Chrome processes such streams, the decoder fails to properly validate input parameters and maintain proper memory allocation tracking, leading to a scenario where a memory block allocated for video frame processing gets deallocated twice. This double free condition creates a state where the memory management structures become corrupted, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate the heap layout and execute arbitrary code or cause unexpected program termination.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to trigger a denial of service condition by crafting malicious Theora streams that cause Chrome to crash or become unresponsive. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as the double free condition could potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks depending on the memory layout and available attack surface. The vulnerability affects all versions of Chrome prior to 15.0.874.120, making it a significant concern for users who have not updated their browser installations.
The weakness aligns with CWE-415, which specifically addresses double free vulnerabilities in memory management, and represents a classic example of improper resource management in multimedia processing components. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability would map to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and control communication, though the primary impact is through denial of service rather than direct execution. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers can craft malicious web pages or media streams that automatically trigger the flaw when viewed in affected Chrome versions, making it particularly dangerous in web-based attack scenarios.
Mitigation strategies include immediate deployment of Chrome updates to version 15.0.874.120 or later, which contain the necessary memory management fixes. Organizations should also implement network-based filtering to block suspicious media content and consider browser security hardening measures such as sandboxing and strict content security policies. Additionally, users should maintain updated browser installations and avoid visiting untrusted websites that might host malicious media content designed to exploit this vulnerability. The fix typically involves proper memory allocation tracking and validation of input streams to prevent the double free condition from occurring during Theora decoder processing.