CVE-2012-2842 in iTunes
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 20.0.1132.57 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to counter handling.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2842 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 20.0.1132.57 that exposes the browser to remote exploitation. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed, creating potential attack vectors for malicious actors to manipulate application behavior. The specific context of this vulnerability involves counter handling mechanisms within the browser's rendering engine, where improper memory management leads to unpredictable outcomes. Such flaws are particularly dangerous in web browsers since they can be triggered through standard web page content without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability stems from improper memory deallocation within Chrome's handling of counter objects during web page rendering processes. When the browser processes certain counter-related elements in web content, it fails to properly validate memory references after objects have been freed from memory. This allows attackers to craft malicious web pages that trigger the freeing of memory resources while simultaneously maintaining references to those locations. The flaw manifests in the browser's internal memory management system where counter handling operations do not properly enforce memory boundaries, creating opportunities for memory corruption that can be exploited through controlled data manipulation. The vulnerability falls under CWE-416 which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, making it a well-documented and serious class of memory safety issues.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution or complete browser compromise. Remote attackers can leverage this flaw to cause Chrome to crash or behave unpredictably when processing malicious web content, effectively creating a denial of service condition that disrupts user browsing sessions. However, the unspecified other impacts referenced in the vulnerability description suggest that the memory corruption could potentially be exploited to execute malicious code within the browser context, allowing attackers to gain unauthorized access to user data or system resources. The vulnerability affects all versions of Chrome prior to the patched release, making it particularly dangerous as millions of users would be exposed to potential exploitation. This type of vulnerability directly impacts the browser's security model and can undermine user trust in the application's ability to protect against malicious web content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2842 primarily focus on immediate software updates to the patched Chrome versions where the memory management issues have been addressed. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all Chrome installations are updated to version 20.0.1132.57 or later, which contains the necessary memory safety improvements. Browser vendors and system administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as sandboxing and memory protection mechanisms that can provide defense-in-depth against similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of regular security updates and proper memory management practices in browser development, aligning with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter execution through browser-based attacks. Organizations should also consider implementing web filtering and content security policies to reduce exposure to potentially malicious web content while patches are deployed, particularly focusing on the browser's handling of counter elements and related rendering components.