CVE-2014-3199 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
The wrap function in bindings/core/v8/custom/V8EventCustom.cpp in the V8 bindings in Blink, as used in Google Chrome before 38.0.2125.101, has an erroneous fallback outcome for wrapper-selection failures, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service via vectors that trigger stopping a worker process that had been handling an Event object.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/21/2022
The vulnerability described in CVE-2014-3199 resides within the V8 JavaScript engine bindings implementation in Google Chrome's Blink rendering engine, specifically in the wrap function located at bindings/core/v8/custom/V8EventCustom.cpp. This flaw represents a critical issue in the JavaScript-to-C++ object wrapping mechanism that Chrome employs to facilitate communication between web content and native browser components. The vulnerability manifests when the V8 bindings encounter a failure during the wrapper selection process for Event objects, which are fundamental constructs in web applications for handling user interactions and system events.
The technical flaw stems from an erroneous fallback behavior within the wrap function that fails to properly handle cases where wrapper selection cannot be completed successfully. When an Event object is processed by the V8 bindings and the normal wrapper creation path encounters an obstacle, the system should gracefully handle this failure state. However, the implementation contains a logic error that causes the system to proceed with an incorrect fallback mechanism, ultimately leading to a worker process termination. This occurs because the faulty error handling path triggers an unexpected state that causes the browser's worker threads to crash, resulting in a denial of service condition that affects the entire browsing session.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple service disruption, as it provides remote attackers with a mechanism to cause persistent denial of service attacks against Chrome users. Attackers can craft malicious web content that, when processed by Chrome's V8 engine, triggers the problematic code path and forces worker processes to terminate. This vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it affects the core browser functionality and can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The attack vector involves triggering the Event handling system through JavaScript code that causes the V8 bindings to attempt to wrap Event objects in scenarios where the wrapper selection fails, leading to the process termination.
This vulnerability maps to CWE-476 which describes NULL Pointer Dereference, as the erroneous fallback mechanism likely involves improper handling of null or invalid object references during the wrapper creation process. The issue also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1499.004 which covers "Endpoint Denial of Service" through resource exhaustion or process termination. The vulnerability demonstrates a classic example of how improper error handling in core system components can lead to catastrophic failures, as the V8 bindings represent a critical interface between web content and browser internals. Organizations should prioritize updating to Chrome version 38.0.2125.101 or later, as this release contains the necessary patches to address the flawed wrapper selection logic and prevent the erroneous fallback behavior that leads to worker process termination. The fix implemented by Google likely involves proper error handling that prevents the system from entering an invalid state when wrapper selection fails, ensuring that the browser can gracefully continue processing without terminating worker threads.