CVE-2014-7904 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Buffer overflow in Skia, as used in Google Chrome before 39.0.2171.65, 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 • 02/25/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-7904 represents a critical buffer overflow flaw within Skia graphics library, which serves as the core rendering engine for Google Chrome browser prior to version 39.0.2171.65. This issue stems from improper memory management during graphics processing operations, creating a condition where maliciously crafted web content can trigger memory corruption. The vulnerability exists in the way Skia handles certain graphical operations and data processing, particularly when dealing with malformed graphics data or specific rendering scenarios that exceed allocated buffer boundaries. The flaw allows attackers to manipulate memory layout and potentially execute arbitrary code or cause system instability through carefully constructed web pages.
The technical exploitation of this buffer overflow occurs when Chrome processes graphics content that triggers Skia's rendering functions with oversized or malformed input data. The vulnerability manifests during the execution of graphics operations such as image processing, vector graphics rendering, or canvas manipulations where the buffer allocation does not properly validate input size limits. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which specifically addresses stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and can also be categorized under CWE-122 for heap-based buffer overflows depending on the specific execution context. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable remote code execution, making it particularly dangerous for web-based attack scenarios.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risk for 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 attack surface is broad since Skia is extensively used throughout Chrome's rendering pipeline for handling various media types including images, videos, and HTML5 canvas elements. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that contain specially designed graphics data to trigger the buffer overflow condition, potentially leading to complete system compromise or denial of service across the entire browser application. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that users are at risk simply by browsing the internet, with no need for additional malicious software installation or complex attack vectors.
Organizations and users should immediately update to Chrome version 39.0.2171.65 or later to remediate this vulnerability, as the patch addresses the underlying buffer management issues in Skia's graphics processing functions. Additional mitigations include implementing browser security policies that restrict access to potentially malicious websites, enabling sandboxing features, and maintaining updated security software to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of proper input validation and memory management in graphics libraries, with security practitioners advised to follow ATT&CK framework techniques related to privilege escalation and code injection when assessing similar vulnerabilities in other software components. Regular security assessments of graphics rendering engines and browser components should be conducted to identify and address similar memory corruption vulnerabilities before they can be exploited in the wild.