CVE-2011-3959 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in the locale implementation in Google Chrome before 17.0.963.46 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 • 11/29/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-3959 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within Google Chrome's locale implementation component. This issue affected Chrome versions prior to 17.0.963.46 and demonstrates a fundamental memory management weakness that could be exploited by remote attackers to compromise system integrity. The vulnerability specifically resides in how Chrome handles locale-specific data processing, which forms part of the browser's internationalization and localization capabilities. Buffer overflow conditions occur when more data is written to a fixed-length buffer than it can accommodate, potentially leading to memory corruption and unpredictable behavior. The affected locale implementation likely processes language-specific strings, character encodings, or regional formatting data that requires dynamic memory allocation. Attackers could leverage this weakness through carefully crafted web content that triggers the vulnerable code path during locale processing, potentially causing the browser to crash or exhibit other unintended behaviors.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability operates through remote code execution vectors that take advantage of memory corruption principles. When Chrome encounters malformed locale data, the buffer overflow can overwrite adjacent memory locations, potentially corrupting program execution flow or causing the browser to terminate unexpectedly. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the CVE description suggest that beyond simple denial of service, this vulnerability could enable more sophisticated attacks depending on the specific memory layout and exploitation conditions. The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-121, which covers stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and potentially CWE-122 for heap-based buffer overflows, though the exact memory allocation type would depend on the specific implementation details. The attack surface extends to any web page that triggers the vulnerable locale processing code, making it particularly dangerous as it requires no user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites.
The operational impact of CVE-2011-3959 extends beyond simple browser crashes to potentially enable more severe security consequences. In a real-world scenario, attackers could craft malicious web pages that, when loaded in affected Chrome versions, would trigger the buffer overflow and cause the browser to crash repeatedly, effectively creating a denial of service condition for users. However, the unspecified other impacts suggest that under certain conditions, this vulnerability could potentially be escalated to allow arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation. The vulnerability affects the browser's core functionality and could be exploited in phishing campaigns, drive-by download scenarios, or as part of larger attack chains. The widespread use of Google Chrome at the time meant that this vulnerability could impact millions of users, making it a high-priority target for exploitation. Security researchers and threat actors would have been particularly interested in this vulnerability due to its potential for both immediate disruption and long-term exploitation opportunities.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2011-3959 primarily focus on immediate software updates and security hardening measures. The most effective defense involves upgrading to Google Chrome version 17.0.963.46 or later, where the buffer overflow has been patched through improved input validation and memory management. System administrators should implement automated update mechanisms to ensure all affected browsers are promptly patched. Additional protective measures include deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block suspicious locale-related requests, implementing content security policies that limit the execution of potentially malicious scripts, and using browser security extensions that provide additional layers of protection. Organizations should also consider implementing network segmentation to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of secure coding practices, particularly in internationalization libraries and components that handle user-supplied data. Security professionals should monitor for related vulnerabilities in similar components and ensure that all software components undergo regular security assessments and code reviews. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for robust memory safety practices in browser implementations and the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches across all software systems.