CVE-2014-9647 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in PDFium, as used in Google Chrome before 40.0.2214.91, allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted PDF document, related to fpdfsdk/src/fpdfview.cpp and fpdfsdk/src/fsdk_mgr.cpp, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-1205.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-9647 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within PDFium, the PDF rendering engine that powers Google Chrome's document handling capabilities. This specific weakness resides in the fpdfsdk/src/fpdfview.cpp and fpdfsdk/src/fsdk_mgr.cpp source files, where improper memory management allows malicious actors to exploit the system through carefully crafted PDF documents. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of memory safety and document processing, creating a pathway for remote code execution or system instability that directly impacts the browser's core functionality.
The technical implementation of this use-after-free vulnerability stems from the improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation within the PDF rendering pipeline. When Chrome processes a malformed PDF document, the PDFium library fails to properly track memory references, leading to situations where freed memory locations are accessed after being deallocated. This memory management failure creates opportunities for attackers to manipulate the execution flow by controlling the contents of freed memory segments. The flaw specifically manifests in the interaction between the view and management components of the PDF SDK, where object lifecycles are not properly synchronized during document processing operations.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risks to end users and organizations relying on Chrome for document handling. Remote attackers can leverage this weakness to trigger denial of service conditions that effectively crash the browser application, disrupting user workflows and potentially creating persistent availability issues. The unspecified nature of the potential impacts suggests that in certain exploitation scenarios, attackers might achieve more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where browser stability and security are paramount considerations.
The vulnerability's classification aligns with CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software systems. This weakness represents a fundamental memory safety issue that has plagued numerous applications and operating systems over the years. From an adversarial perspective, the vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter), as attackers can leverage the PDF processing capabilities to execute malicious payloads. The attack vector requires minimal user interaction, making it particularly effective for phishing campaigns or automated exploitation attempts that can target unsuspecting users.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2014-9647 primarily involve immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to the 40.0.2214.91 release or subsequent updates that address the memory management issues in PDFium. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies and consider deploying additional security measures such as sandboxing and content filtering to reduce the attack surface. Network-based protections including web application firewalls and PDF scanning solutions can provide additional layers of defense against exploitation attempts. Regular security assessments of browser configurations and user education regarding the risks of opening untrusted PDF documents remain essential components of a comprehensive defense strategy against this and similar vulnerabilities.