CVE-2014-3194 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in the Web Workers implementation in Google Chrome before 38.0.2125.101 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-3194 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within Google Chrome's Web Workers implementation, affecting versions prior to 38.0.2125.101. This issue resides in the browser's multi-threaded web processing capabilities where Web Workers enable JavaScript execution in background threads separate from the main UI thread. The vulnerability stems from improper memory management during the lifecycle of Web Worker objects, specifically when these resources are deallocated but still referenced by other components within the browser's execution environment.
The technical exploitation of this use-after-free vulnerability occurs when malicious web content triggers the creation and subsequent destruction of Web Worker instances while maintaining references to freed memory locations. Attackers can leverage this flaw through carefully crafted web pages that manipulate the timing and interaction between worker threads and the garbage collection process. When the browser attempts to access memory that has already been freed, it results in undefined behavior that can manifest as application crashes, memory corruption, or potentially arbitrary code execution depending on the specific memory layout and exploitation techniques employed.
This vulnerability presents significant operational risks to users of affected Chrome versions, as it can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting malicious websites. The potential impact extends beyond simple denial of service to include possible remote code execution scenarios, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious content through phishing campaigns or compromised websites. The vulnerability affects the browser's core rendering engine and worker management subsystems, creating attack surface that could be leveraged for more sophisticated exploitation techniques.
From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software implementations. The attack vector follows typical patterns described in the MITRE ATT&CK framework under techniques related to code injection and privilege escalation through browser exploitation. Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected Chrome installations to mitigate this risk, as the vulnerability can be exploited remotely without user interaction. Additionally, implementing network-based security controls such as web application firewalls and content filtering solutions can provide additional defense-in-depth measures while waiting for official patches to be deployed across all affected systems.