CVE-2013-2922 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in core/html/HTMLTemplateElement.cpp in Blink, as used in Google Chrome before 30.0.1599.66, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted JavaScript code that operates on a TEMPLATE element.
Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/26/2021
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2013-2922 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the Blink rendering engine that powers Google Chrome browser. This issue specifically resides in the core/html/HTMLTemplateElement.cpp file, which handles the processing of template elements in web documents. The vulnerability arises when malicious JavaScript code manipulates TEMPLATE elements in ways that trigger memory management errors during the browser's rendering process. Such flaws are particularly dangerous because they can be exploited remotely through web pages loaded in the browser, making them ideal candidates for drive-by download attacks and other remote exploitation techniques.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the HTML template element handling code. When a TEMPLATE element is processed and subsequently freed from memory, the application fails to properly invalidate references to that memory location. Attackers can craft JavaScript code that creates multiple references to the freed memory space, then triggers the use of that memory after it has been deallocated. This use-after-free condition can lead to unpredictable behavior including application crashes, memory corruption, or potentially arbitrary code execution depending on the specific memory layout and exploitation techniques employed. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of HTML5 template element specifications and browser rendering engine implementation, making it particularly challenging to detect and prevent.
The operational impact of CVE-2013-2922 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks. While the vulnerability description indicates it could cause denial of service or unspecified other impacts, use-after-free vulnerabilities in browser components typically represent high-value targets for threat actors due to their potential for privilege escalation or remote code execution. The affected version range of Chrome before 30.0.1599.66 suggests this vulnerability was present in a significant portion of the browser user base, creating widespread exposure. Organizations running older versions of Chrome were particularly vulnerable as attackers could craft malicious web pages that would trigger this flaw when users visited compromised websites, potentially leading to complete system compromise.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate patching and browser updates to ensure users are running versions that contain the fix for the HTML template element memory management issue. The recommended approach involves deploying the patched version of Google Chrome 30.0.1599.66 or later, which resolves the memory handling error in the template element processing code. Additionally, security administrators should implement network-based protections such as web application firewalls that can detect and block known malicious JavaScript patterns targeting this vulnerability. Organizations should also consider implementing browser hardening measures including sandboxing, content security policies, and restricted JavaScript execution environments to limit the potential impact of any successful exploitation attempts. From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and CWE-416 (Use After Free) which emphasizes the importance of proper memory management in software development practices.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in browser engine implementations and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of HTML5 specification elements. The use-after-free condition in the Blink engine represents a classic software security flaw that can have far-reaching consequences when exploited in web browsers, where the attack surface is inherently broad and user interaction is required for exploitation. Security professionals should monitor for similar patterns in other browser components and ensure that memory management practices follow established secure coding guidelines to prevent similar vulnerabilities from emerging in future implementations.