CVE-2012-5150 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 24.0.1312.52 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors involving seek operations on video data.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2021
The CVE-2012-5150 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 24.0.1312.52 that fundamentally compromises the browser's memory management integrity. This vulnerability specifically manifests during seek operations on video data streams, where the browser's handling of media playback objects creates a scenario where memory previously allocated to video elements can be accessed after being freed, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation. The flaw resides in the browser's media processing subsystem, particularly affecting how Chrome manages video buffer objects during seeking operations, creating a window where freed memory can be dereferenced by malicious code.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves the interaction between Chrome's media pipeline and its garbage collection mechanisms during video seek operations. When a user interacts with video content through seeking functionality, the browser's media engine may prematurely free memory associated with video frames or buffers while still maintaining references to these objects. This creates a use-after-free condition where subsequent operations on the freed memory can trigger memory corruption, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates within the browser's rendering context, where memory corruption can directly translate into privilege escalation or remote code execution opportunities. This flaw aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free vulnerabilities in software systems, and demonstrates how improper memory management can create persistent security risks in complex multimedia applications.
The operational impact of CVE-2012-5150 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the vulnerability can potentially enable remote code execution in targeted attacks. Attackers can craft malicious video content or manipulate existing media streams to trigger the use-after-free condition during seek operations, leading to system crashes or more severe consequences including complete system compromise. The vulnerability affects all versions of Chrome prior to 24.0.1312.52, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently access multimedia content or where automatic updates are not properly implemented. The attack surface is broad since video content is commonly encountered across the web, including in social media platforms, news sites, and streaming services, making this vulnerability highly exploitable in real-world scenarios.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2012-5150 primarily focus on immediate patch deployment and browser security hardening measures. Organizations should prioritize updating to Chrome version 24.0.1312.52 or later, which includes memory management fixes that prevent the use-after-free condition during video seek operations. Additionally, implementing browser security policies such as sandboxing, content security policies, and restricted media playback capabilities can reduce the potential impact of exploitation attempts. Network-level protections including web application firewalls and content filtering systems can help prevent access to malicious video content that might trigger the vulnerability. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving privilege escalation and code execution through memory corruption, making it a significant concern for defensive security operations that must account for browser-based attack vectors. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should include verification of Chrome versions to ensure protection against this and similar memory corruption vulnerabilities.