CVE-2014-1727 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in content/renderer/renderer_webcolorchooser_impl.h 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 related to forms.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/10/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-1727 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within Google Chrome's rendering engine that existed in versions prior to 34.0.1847.116. This issue resides in the content/renderer/renderer_webcolorchooser_impl.h file, which handles the implementation of color selection dialogs within the browser's user interface. The vulnerability specifically manifests when processing form elements that involve color input fields, creating a scenario where memory that has been freed is still being accessed by the application. Such memory corruption vulnerabilities are particularly dangerous because they can lead to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation by malicious actors.
The technical nature of this flaw stems from improper memory management within the browser's rendering pipeline where the color chooser implementation fails to properly track the lifecycle of allocated memory objects. When a form element triggers the color selection dialog, the underlying code creates and subsequently frees memory structures associated with the color picker interface. However, due to inadequate null pointer checks or reference counting mechanisms, the application may attempt to access this freed memory, resulting in a use-after-free condition. This type of vulnerability is classified under CWE-416 as "Use After Free" and represents a common class of memory safety issues that can be exploited to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability.
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 leverage this weakness by crafting malicious web pages containing specially crafted form elements that trigger the vulnerable code path. When a user visits such a page, the browser processes the form elements and inadvertently executes the use-after-free condition, potentially leading to browser crashes, memory corruption, or in some cases, arbitrary code execution within the context of the renderer process. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203 "Exploitation for Client Execution" as it enables remote code execution through browser-based attack vectors.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-1727 primarily focus on immediate patching and updating to affected Google Chrome versions. System administrators should ensure all users are running Chrome version 34.0.1847.116 or later, where the memory management issues have been addressed through proper reference counting and null pointer validation. Browser vendors should implement additional security measures such as address space layout randomization, stack canaries, and heap metadata protection to reduce the exploitability of similar memory corruption vulnerabilities. Organizations should also consider implementing web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to detect and block malicious web content that might attempt to exploit this vulnerability. The incident highlights the importance of continuous security auditing and the critical need for proper memory management practices in browser engine implementations, particularly when handling user input through form elements and interactive components.