CVE-2013-0893 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Race condition in Google Chrome before 25.0.1364.97 on Windows and Linux, and before 25.0.1364.99 on Mac OS X, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to media.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-0893 represents a critical race condition flaw in Google Chrome browser versions prior to specific patch releases across multiple operating systems. This vulnerability specifically affects Windows and Linux systems running Chrome versions before 25.0.1364.97, while Mac OS X systems are impacted by versions before 25.0.1364.99. The race condition manifests within the browser's media handling capabilities, creating a security weakness that remote attackers can exploit to compromise system stability and potentially execute unauthorized actions.
The technical flaw stems from improper synchronization mechanisms within Chrome's media processing components, particularly when handling multimedia content such as videos and audio streams. During concurrent access scenarios involving media elements, the browser fails to properly coordinate access to shared resources, leading to unpredictable behavior. This race condition creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory states and execution flows through carefully crafted malicious media content delivered over network connections. The vulnerability falls under the CWE-362 category of "Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Unprotected Critical Section" and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as it may enable attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution or other unspecified malicious outcomes. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness by hosting malicious media content on web servers, which when accessed through vulnerable Chrome installations triggers the race condition. The affected systems experience instability during media processing, potentially leading to browser crashes, system hangs, or in more severe cases, complete system compromise. This vulnerability particularly affects users who frequently access multimedia content online, making it a significant threat vector for both individual users and enterprise environments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2013-0893 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to patched versions, which address the underlying race condition through improved synchronization mechanisms and proper resource management. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management policies ensuring all Chrome installations remain current with security updates. Network administrators can deploy web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains and monitor for suspicious media content. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of accessing untrusted multimedia sources and the importance of maintaining updated browser software. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper concurrency control in browser security implementations, as inadequate protection of shared resources can lead to severe system compromise. Organizations should also consider implementing browser hardening techniques and monitoring for unusual browser behavior that might indicate exploitation attempts.