CVE-2012-2850 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in the PDF functionality in Google Chrome before 21.0.1180.57 on Mac OS X and Linux, and before 21.0.1180.60 on Windows and Chrome Frame, allow remote attackers to have an unknown impact via a crafted document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2850 represents a critical security flaw within Google Chrome's PDF rendering capabilities across multiple operating systems. This issue affected Chrome versions prior to 21.0.1180.57 on macOS and Linux platforms, and before 21.0.1180.60 on Windows systems and Chrome Frame implementations. The vulnerability resides in the PDF functionality component that processes and displays PDF documents within the browser environment, making it a prime target for exploitation by malicious actors seeking to compromise user systems through crafted PDF files.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from insufficient input validation and memory handling within Chrome's PDF processing engine. When the browser encounters a specially crafted PDF document, the parsing and rendering mechanisms fail to properly validate the document structure and content, leading to potential memory corruption or unexpected behavior. This class of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-129, which addresses insufficient input validation, and may also relate to CWE-119, concerning weak buffer access controls. The lack of proper bounds checking and memory management in the PDF parser creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory layouts and potentially execute arbitrary code.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-2850 extends beyond simple privilege escalation or information disclosure, as it allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution on affected systems. When users open malicious PDF documents, the vulnerability can be triggered through normal browser operations, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or exploit delivery scenarios. The attack surface is broad since PDF documents are commonly encountered in email attachments, web downloads, and document sharing platforms, providing multiple vectors for exploitation. This vulnerability directly aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for privilege escalation, and T1059, covering command and scripting interpreters, as successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise.
Organizations and users affected by this vulnerability should immediately update to Chrome versions 21.0.1180.57 or later on macOS and Linux, and 21.0.1180.60 or later on Windows systems and Chrome Frame implementations. Security administrators should implement network-based protections such as PDF file filtering and web application firewalls to prevent the delivery of malicious PDF content to user systems. Additional mitigations include disabling PDF viewing within the browser and using alternative PDF readers for document processing, though this approach may impact user productivity and workflow efficiency. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of keeping browser software updated and highlights the risks associated with complex multimedia processing components in web browsers, particularly those handling untrusted content from external sources.