CVE-2012-2831 in iTunes
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 20.0.1132.43 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to SVG references.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2831 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 20.0.1132.43 that specifically impacts the browser's handling of Scalable Vector Graphics references. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed, creating potential for arbitrary code execution or system instability. The issue manifests within Chrome's SVG processing engine where improper memory management during reference handling allows malicious actors to exploit the memory corruption through carefully crafted web content. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416 which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, making it a well-documented and dangerous class of memory safety flaw that has been the subject of numerous security advisories and exploitation techniques. The attack vector involves remote code execution through web pages that contain malicious SVG elements with improper reference handling, enabling attackers to manipulate memory structures in ways that bypass typical security protections.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability requires attackers to craft malicious SVG content that triggers specific memory allocation and deallocation sequences within Chrome's rendering engine. When Chrome processes these malformed SVG references, it fails to properly validate the memory lifecycle of referenced elements, leading to situations where freed memory blocks are accessed again. This memory corruption can result in the browser crashing or potentially allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the browser. The impact extends beyond simple denial of service to include potential privilege escalation and system compromise, particularly in environments where users browse untrusted web content. The vulnerability's exploitation techniques align with ATT&CK framework's T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1203 for exploitation for privilege escalation, demonstrating how such memory corruption flaws can be leveraged for broader attack objectives.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-2831 affects millions of Chrome users globally who were running vulnerable versions of the browser, creating a significant security risk for organizations that rely on web-based applications and services. The vulnerability's remote exploitation capability means that users could be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites or viewing compromised web content, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns and drive-by download attacks. Organizations implementing security measures should have recognized this vulnerability as a critical threat requiring immediate patching and user education. The affected Chrome versions included those prior to 20.0.1132.43, representing a substantial user base that needed protection from this memory corruption flaw. Security teams were advised to monitor for indicators of compromise related to SVG-based attacks and implement network-level protections to detect and block malicious content targeting this specific vulnerability. The patch released by Google addressed the underlying memory management issues in the SVG reference handling code, ensuring proper validation of memory lifecycle and preventing the use-after-free condition that enabled exploitation.