CVE-2012-2880 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Race condition in Google Chrome before 22.0.1229.79 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to the plug-in paint buffer.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/14/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2880 represents a critical race condition flaw discovered in Google Chrome versions prior to 22.0.1229.79. This issue specifically affects the browser's handling of plugin paint buffers, creating a security weakness that remote attackers can exploit to execute denial of service attacks or potentially achieve other unspecified malicious outcomes. The race condition occurs during the rendering process when Chrome manages graphics buffers for plugin content, particularly affecting how the browser allocates and manages memory for plugin rendering operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper synchronization mechanisms within Chrome's rendering engine when processing plugin content. When a web page contains multiple plugins or complex graphics elements, the browser must coordinate between different threads to manage the painting buffers used for rendering. The race condition manifests when these threads access shared memory resources without proper locking mechanisms, allowing for unpredictable behavior during buffer allocation and deallocation processes. This flaw falls under the CWE-362 category of Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization, which specifically addresses issues where multiple threads or processes access shared data structures without adequate protection mechanisms.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as indicated by the "unspecified other impact" description in the CVE. Attackers can leverage this race condition to potentially execute arbitrary code within the browser context or cause more severe system instability. The vulnerability affects the core rendering pipeline of Chrome, making it particularly dangerous since it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites. The exploitability of this flaw increases significantly in environments where users frequently visit untrusted websites or encounter malicious advertisements containing crafted plugin content.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2880 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 22.0.1229.79 and later, which contain the necessary fixes for the race condition in plugin buffer management. System administrators should implement comprehensive patch management protocols to ensure all Chrome installations remain current with security updates. Additional protective measures include enabling Chrome's built-in security features such as sandboxing and automatic updates, while network administrators should consider implementing web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper thread synchronization in browser security architectures and highlights the need for continuous security auditing of rendering engines. Organizations should also implement monitoring solutions to detect unusual browser behavior patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as the race condition could potentially be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks beyond simple denial of service.