CVE-2013-0902 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the frame-loader implementation in Google Chrome before 25.0.1364.152 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/05/2021
The CVE-2013-0902 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free condition within Google Chrome's frame-loader implementation, affecting versions prior to 25.0.1364.152. This type of vulnerability occurs when a program continues to reference memory that has already been freed, creating a dangerous state where subsequent operations on that memory location can trigger unpredictable behavior. The frame-loader component is responsible for managing the loading and execution of frames within web pages, making it a core part of the browser's rendering engine that handles complex web content structures.
The technical flaw manifests in how Chrome's frame-loader handles memory management during the process of loading and destroying frame elements. When a frame is removed from a web page, the associated memory structures should be properly deallocated and the references invalidated. However, in this vulnerability, the memory cleanup process contains a race condition or improper reference tracking that allows an attacker to manipulate the timing or sequence of operations to access already freed memory locations. This can occur through carefully crafted web content that triggers specific sequences in the browser's frame management system, potentially causing the application to read from or write to memory that has been returned to the system's memory pool.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios to potentially enable more severe exploitation techniques. While the vulnerability description mentions the possibility of unspecified other impacts, use-after-free conditions in browser environments often serve as precursors to remote code execution attacks, particularly when combined with other vulnerabilities. The memory corruption that results from accessing freed memory can be leveraged by attackers to inject malicious code, manipulate program execution flow, or escalate privileges. The attack vectors are typically delivered through malicious web content that triggers the vulnerable frame-loader path, making this a significant threat to users browsing untrusted websites.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses the use of freed memory condition, and demonstrates how such flaws can be exploited in modern browser environments where complex memory management and rapid execution contexts create numerous attack surfaces. From an attacker's perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques described in the ATT&CK framework under the T1059 category for execution, particularly through the use of browser-based attacks and T1203 for legitimate program execution. The remediation approach focuses on proper memory management practices including implementing proper reference counting, using smart pointers, and ensuring that all memory references are invalidated immediately upon deallocation. Browser vendors typically address such issues through memory safety improvements, enhanced garbage collection mechanisms, and comprehensive code review processes that identify and fix similar patterns throughout the codebase.