CVE-2011-3895 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in the Vorbis 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 CVE-2011-3895 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow within the Vorbis audio decoder component of Google Chrome browser versions prior to 15.0.874.120. This flaw exists in the handling of crafted audio streams that exploit memory management issues in the browser's multimedia processing pipeline. The vulnerability is categorized under CWE-121 as a heap-based buffer overflow, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to write data beyond the allocated memory buffer boundaries. The Vorbis decoder is responsible for processing Ogg Vorbis audio files, which are commonly used in web applications and multimedia content delivery.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs when Chrome processes maliciously crafted Vorbis audio streams that contain malformed data structures or oversized audio packets. During the decoding process, the application fails to properly validate input parameters and buffer sizes, leading to memory corruption that can result in arbitrary code execution or system instability. The heap corruption typically manifests when the decoder attempts to allocate memory for audio frame data that exceeds expected boundaries, causing adjacent memory locations to be overwritten. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, as it leverages browser-based multimedia processing to achieve remote code execution or denial of service.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it potentially enables remote code execution in the context of the browser process. Attackers can craft malicious audio streams that, when played through a vulnerable Chrome instance, trigger the buffer overflow condition and allow arbitrary code execution. This represents a significant threat to user security since audio content is frequently encountered on web pages, making the attack surface extremely broad. The vulnerability affects not only the browser's stability but also creates potential pathways for privilege escalation and persistent malware installation, as the compromised browser process typically runs with the user's privileges. Additionally, the vulnerability's exploitation can lead to complete system compromise if combined with other attack vectors or if the user has elevated privileges.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3895 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 15.0.874.120 and later, which contain the necessary patches to address the heap overflow conditions in the Vorbis decoder. Organizations should implement automated patch management systems to ensure all Chrome installations remain current with security updates. Network administrators can deploy content filtering solutions that block or sanitize audio content from untrusted sources, particularly when dealing with multimedia files that may contain embedded malicious payloads. Browser security configurations should be hardened by disabling unnecessary multimedia plugins and restricting autoplay functionality for audio content. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of input validation and memory safety practices in multimedia processing libraries, which should be reinforced through regular security code reviews and static analysis tools. Organizations should also consider implementing intrusion detection systems that monitor for anomalous audio processing behavior or memory allocation patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.