CVE-2012-5133 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 23.0.1271.91 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to SVG filters.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/19/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5133 represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 23.0.1271.91 that specifically affects the browser's handling of Scalable Vector Graphics filters. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-416 category, which defines use-after-free conditions as a serious security weakness where memory is accessed after it has been freed, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution or system compromise. The flaw manifests within Chrome's rendering engine when processing SVG filter elements, creating a scenario where malicious web content can manipulate memory allocation and deallocation sequences to trigger unpredictable behavior.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the browser's improper handling of memory references when processing complex SVG filter operations. When Chrome encounters certain SVG filter constructs, it fails to properly validate the lifecycle of allocated memory objects, particularly those related to filter effects and their associated data structures. This allows an attacker to craft malicious web pages that, when rendered by the vulnerable browser, can cause the application to access memory that has already been deallocated, leading to potential exploitation through memory corruption. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of web rendering and memory management, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to users of affected Chrome versions as it enables remote code execution capabilities that could be leveraged for various malicious purposes. The potential impacts extend beyond simple denial of service to include complete system compromise, data theft, and persistence mechanisms that could be exploited by attackers to establish long-term access to affected systems. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that users can be compromised simply by visiting a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or when users browse untrusted web content. The unspecified other impacts referenced in the CVE description suggest that exploitation could potentially lead to privilege escalation, information disclosure, or additional attack surface expansion that could be leveraged in broader compromise scenarios.
Security mitigations for CVE-2012-5133 primarily involve immediate browser updates to versions 23.0.1271.91 or later, which contain the necessary patches to address the memory management issues in SVG filter processing. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all affected systems receive updates promptly, particularly given the remote exploitability and potential for automated exploitation. Additional defensive measures include implementing web content filtering solutions, deploying browser security extensions that can detect and block malicious SVG content, and establishing network monitoring to identify suspicious traffic patterns associated with exploitation attempts. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for privilege escalation, and T1059, covering command and scripting interpreters, as attackers could potentially leverage this vulnerability to establish persistent access and execute additional malicious payloads through compromised browser sessions.