CVE-2012-5124 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 23.0.1271.64 does not properly handle textures, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5124 affects Google Chrome versions prior to 23.0.1271.64 and relates to improper handling of textures within the browser's graphics rendering system. This flaw exists in the way Chrome processes and manages graphical textures, which are essential components for rendering web content including images, videos, and complex visual elements. The issue stems from insufficient validation and memory management when processing texture data, creating potential attack vectors that could be exploited by remote adversaries.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the browser's handling of graphics processing unit operations and memory allocation for texture objects. When Chrome encounters malformed or maliciously crafted texture data in web content, the browser fails to properly validate the input before processing it, leading to memory corruption issues. This type of flaw typically occurs in the graphics subsystem where texture data is loaded and managed, often through WebGL or other graphics APIs. The vulnerability manifests as a failure to properly manage memory boundaries when processing texture resources, potentially allowing attackers to manipulate memory layout through crafted web content.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to browser security and system stability. Remote attackers can leverage this issue to cause denial of service conditions by triggering memory corruption that may result in browser crashes or system instability. The unspecified other impacts mentioned in the description suggest potential for more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation. This vulnerability affects the core rendering functionality of Chrome, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring special user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites. The memory corruption aspect aligns with common attack patterns targeting browser graphics subsystems, which are often less scrutinized than core browser components.
The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. These weaknesses occur when programs access memory locations outside the intended bounds of allocated buffers, often through improper input validation or inadequate boundary checking. From an attack framework perspective, this vulnerability could be mapped to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for script-based attacks and potentially T1203 for web-based exploitation. The attack surface is broad as it affects all web content rendering, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users browse untrusted websites or encounter malicious advertisements.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of Chrome installations to version 23.0.1271.64 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for texture handling and memory management. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies to ensure all systems are protected against known vulnerabilities. Additional defensive measures include enabling sandboxing features, restricting browser access to unnecessary system resources, and implementing web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains. Network-level protections such as intrusion detection systems can help identify exploitation attempts, while browser hardening measures including disabling unnecessary plugins and features can reduce the attack surface. Security teams should also monitor for exploitation attempts through web traffic analysis and implement regular security assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities in browser configurations.