CVE-2013-2869 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Google Chrome before 28.0.1500.71 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds read) via a crafted JPEG2000 image.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/18/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2869 represents a critical out-of-bounds read flaw in Google Chrome versions prior to 28.0.1500.71, specifically affecting the handling of JPEG2000 image formats. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-125 weakness category, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that occur when a program reads data past the end of a valid buffer or array. The flaw manifests when Chrome processes specially crafted JPEG2000 images that contain malformed data structures, leading to memory access violations that can be exploited by remote attackers.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability occurs within Chrome's image processing pipeline where the JPEG2000 decoder fails to properly validate the structure of incoming image data. When a malicious JPEG2000 image is loaded, the decoder attempts to access memory locations beyond the allocated buffer boundaries, causing unpredictable behavior including application crashes or potential memory corruption. This type of vulnerability is particularly dangerous in web browsers as it can be triggered through simple web page loading without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious site.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks against Chrome users by simply hosting a malicious JPEG2000 image on a web server. The attack vector is particularly insidious because JPEG2000 images are commonly used on websites, making the exploitation surface extremely broad. The out-of-bounds read condition can cause Chrome to crash and restart, effectively denying users access to the browser functionality for the duration of the attack. In more severe cases, this type of memory corruption could potentially be leveraged for more advanced exploitation techniques if combined with other vulnerabilities.
The mitigation strategy for this vulnerability involves immediate patching of Chrome browsers to versions 28.0.1500.71 or later where the JPEG2000 image decoder has been properly hardened against malformed input. Security administrators should also implement network-level controls to block suspicious image content and deploy web application firewalls that can detect and prevent the delivery of malicious JPEG2000 files. Organizations should consider implementing browser hardening measures such as disabling automatic image loading for untrusted sites and using content security policies to restrict image sources. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers legitimate program execution through the exploitation of application vulnerabilities, and demonstrates how image processing components in browsers can serve as attack vectors for broader system compromise.