CVE-2012-5154 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Integer overflow in Google Chrome before 24.0.1312.52 on Windows allows attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to allocation of shared memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/22/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2012-5154 represents a critical integer overflow flaw within Google Chrome versions prior to 24.0.1312.52 on Windows operating systems. This issue specifically affects the browser's memory management mechanisms when handling shared memory allocation operations, creating a potential vector for both denial of service attacks and unspecified security impacts. The vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation and bounds checking within the browser's memory allocation routines, particularly when processing memory requests that exceed the maximum representable integer value.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves an integer overflow condition that occurs during shared memory allocation processes. When Chrome attempts to allocate memory for shared resources, the system fails to properly validate the size parameters, allowing malicious inputs to cause integer wraparound behavior. This overflow condition can result in the allocation of insufficient memory space or cause the system to interpret memory addresses incorrectly, leading to unpredictable behavior. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through various attack vectors including web page content, malicious documents, or crafted network requests that force the browser to perform memory operations with oversized parameters.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for Chrome users and organizations relying on the browser for web-based activities. The potential for denial of service means that attackers could remotely crash the browser or cause system instability, disrupting user productivity and potentially creating opportunities for further exploitation. The unspecified other impacts suggest that beyond simple service disruption, this vulnerability could enable more sophisticated attacks such as arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation depending on the specific conditions under which the overflow occurs. The Windows-specific nature of the vulnerability indicates that attackers targeting Windows environments would have a higher probability of successful exploitation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-190, which catalogs integer overflow conditions as a fundamental class of software flaws that can lead to memory corruption and system instability. From an adversarial perspective, this issue maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1499 for network denial of service and potentially T1059 for command execution if the overflow leads to code execution capabilities. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to address this vulnerability, as the integer overflow creates a fundamental weakness in the browser's memory management that could be exploited by threat actors with minimal technical expertise. The remediation strategy should include not only updating Chrome to version 24.0.1312.52 or later but also implementing network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts targeting this specific vulnerability. Additionally, browser hardening measures such as enabling sandboxing features and restricting memory allocation operations could provide additional layers of protection against exploitation attempts.