CVE-2014-1720 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the HTMLBodyElement::insertedInto function in core/html/HTMLBodyElement.cpp in Blink, as used in Google Chrome before 34.0.1847.116, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors involving attributes.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2026
The CVE-2014-1720 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the Blink rendering engine that powers Google Chrome browsers. This vulnerability specifically affects the HTMLBodyElement::insertedInto function located in core/html/HTMLBodyElement.cpp, making it a core component of the browser's HTML parsing and rendering pipeline. The flaw arises when the browser processes HTML elements containing specific attributes, creating conditions where memory that has been freed is subsequently accessed, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the Blink engine's handling of HTML body elements. When certain attributes are processed during the insertion of HTML body elements into the document object model, the system fails to properly manage the lifecycle of allocated memory structures. This use-after-free condition occurs because the code references memory locations that have already been deallocated, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate the memory state and potentially execute arbitrary code or cause system instability. The vulnerability falls under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions, making it a well-documented and dangerous class of memory safety issues.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the unspecified other impacts mentioned in the description suggest potential for more severe consequences. Remote attackers can exploit this flaw by crafting malicious HTML content that triggers the vulnerable code path through specific attribute combinations. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that users can be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites or viewing crafted email content, making it particularly dangerous in real-world scenarios. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for persistence through web-based attacks, and demonstrates how seemingly minor HTML processing flaws can create significant security risks.
The remediation for this vulnerability required immediate patching of the Blink engine's memory management logic within Chrome versions 34.0.1847.116 and later. The fix involved ensuring proper reference counting and memory deallocation procedures within the HTMLBodyElement::insertedInto function, preventing the access of freed memory structures. Organizations should prioritize updating to patched versions of Chrome and other affected browsers, while security teams should monitor for similar patterns in other browser engines and web rendering components. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical importance of memory safety in browser engines and the potential for seemingly innocuous HTML processing to create significant security risks when proper memory management is not maintained. The incident highlights the necessity of rigorous code reviews and automated memory safety testing in complex browser rendering engines to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions.