CVE-2014-1724 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Free(b)soft Laboratory Speech Dispatcher 0.7.1, as used in Google Chrome before 34.0.1847.116, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application hang) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a text-to-speech request.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-1724 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the Freebsoft Laboratory Speech Dispatcher component version 0.7.1, which was integrated into Google Chrome browsers prior to version 34.0.1847.116. This particular vulnerability falls under the category of memory safety issues and is classified as a CWE-416 vulnerability, specifically involving the use of freed memory resources. The flaw manifests when the speech dispatcher component processes text-to-speech requests, creating a scenario where memory allocated for speech processing operations is prematurely deallocated while still being referenced by subsequent operations.
The technical execution of this vulnerability occurs through remote attack vectors where malicious actors can craft specially formatted text-to-speech requests that trigger the use-after-free condition. When Chrome processes these requests through its integrated Speech Dispatcher module, the application attempts to access memory that has already been freed, leading to unpredictable behavior. This memory corruption can result in application instability, causing the browser to hang or freeze during speech processing operations. The vulnerability's potential impact extends beyond simple denial of service, as the use-after-free condition could theoretically be exploited to achieve arbitrary code execution, although the primary reported effect was application hang.
The operational implications of CVE-2014-1724 are significant within the context of web browser security, particularly given Chrome's widespread usage and the privileged nature of text-to-speech functionality. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability to disrupt user productivity through persistent browser hangs, or potentially escalate the attack to achieve more severe consequences. The vulnerability demonstrates the risks associated with third-party libraries integrated into browser components, where a flaw in one system can compromise the entire browser environment. This issue particularly affects users running vulnerable Chrome versions who interact with web content that triggers speech synthesis, making it a vector for both casual disruption and more targeted attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve updating to Chrome version 34.0.1847.116 or later, which includes patches addressing the memory management issues within the Speech Dispatcher component. System administrators should prioritize patch management to ensure all affected Chrome installations are updated promptly. Additionally, implementing network-level controls to restrict access to potentially malicious content that could trigger text-to-speech requests may provide supplementary protection. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security auditing of third-party components and the necessity of maintaining up-to-date browser versions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability aligns with techniques involving privilege escalation and denial of service through memory corruption, emphasizing the need for robust memory safety practices in browser implementations and the critical importance of component security hygiene in modern web applications.