CVE-2012-2890 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the PDF functionality in Google Chrome before 22.0.1229.79 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted document.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/31/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-2890 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within Google Chrome's PDF rendering engine, specifically affecting versions prior to 22.0.1229.79. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed, creating potential exploitation vectors for malicious actors. The issue manifests within the browser's handling of PDF documents, making it particularly dangerous as PDF files are commonly encountered in web browsing environments. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software systems. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious PDF documents that, when processed by the vulnerable Chrome version, trigger the use-after-free scenario during memory management operations.
The technical execution of this vulnerability involves the PDF plugin's improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation during document parsing. When Chrome processes a specially crafted PDF file, the memory management routines fail to properly track object references, leading to scenarios where freed memory locations are accessed again. This condition can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code or cause the browser to crash, resulting in denial of service. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple crashes as the use-after-free condition could potentially be exploited to execute malicious code within the browser's sandboxed environment. The flaw demonstrates how memory safety issues in complex software components can create significant security risks, particularly in applications that process untrusted data from web sources.
From an operational standpoint, this vulnerability presents substantial risk to organizations relying on Chrome browsers for web-based operations. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can compromise systems simply by having users view malicious PDF documents in the browser, without requiring any additional user interaction or privileges. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may encounter untrusted PDF content through email attachments, web portals, or malicious websites. The potential for unspecified other impacts suggests that beyond denial of service, attackers might be able to achieve privilege escalation or information disclosure, making this vulnerability a serious concern for security teams. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this as a memory corruption vulnerability that can be leveraged for code execution and privilege escalation.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-2890 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to versions 22.0.1229.79 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the use-after-free condition. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all Chrome installations are updated promptly. Additional protective measures include implementing PDF content filtering, disabling PDF plugin execution in browsers, and deploying web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious PDF content. Security teams should also consider implementing browser hardening configurations that restrict memory access patterns and enhance sandboxing mechanisms. The vulnerability underscores the importance of maintaining up-to-date software versions and the critical need for regular security assessments of browser components. Organizations should also consider implementing network-based detection measures to identify potential exploitation attempts targeting this vulnerability.