CVE-2012-5126 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 23.0.1271.64 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to the handling of plug-in placeholders.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2021
The CVE-2012-5126 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 23.0.1271.64 that fundamentally compromises the browser's memory management integrity. This vulnerability specifically manifests during the processing of plugin placeholders within the browser's rendering engine, creating a scenario where freed memory locations are accessed after being deallocated. The technical nature of this flaw stems from improper memory deallocation handling when Chrome encounters certain plugin elements, particularly those associated with ActiveX controls and other browser plugins that require placeholder management during page rendering. The vulnerability operates through a classic memory corruption pattern where the application continues to reference memory that has already been freed, potentially leading to unpredictable behavior and system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable more severe security consequences. Remote attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious web pages that trigger the problematic code path during plugin placeholder handling, causing Chrome to crash or behave unpredictably. However, the unspecified other impacts referenced in the CVE description suggest this vulnerability may potentially be leveraged for privilege escalation or arbitrary code execution under certain conditions. The use-after-free pattern creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory contents or redirect execution flow, particularly when combined with other exploitation techniques. This vulnerability affects the browser's core rendering pipeline and plugin management subsystem, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through normal browsing activities without requiring user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-5126 primarily focus on immediate patch deployment and browser updates to the patched versions of Chrome. Organizations should prioritize updating all affected Chrome installations to version 23.0.1271.64 or later, which contains the necessary memory management fixes. Additionally, implementing browser hardening measures such as enabling sandboxing features, restricting plugin execution, and deploying web application firewalls can provide additional layers of protection. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software applications, and demonstrates how improper memory management can lead to severe security implications. From an adversarial perspective, this vulnerability maps to ATT&CK technique T1059 for execution through browser-based attacks and T1190 for initial access via web-based exploitation. Network administrators should monitor for exploitation attempts and implement security controls that limit plugin execution in sensitive environments, while security teams should conduct vulnerability assessments to identify and remediate similar memory corruption issues in other browser components or third-party applications that may be vulnerable to similar use-after-free conditions.