CVE-2015-1207 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Double-free vulnerability in libavformat/mov.c in FFMPEG in Google Chrome 41.0.2251.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and crash) via a crafted .m4a file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/08/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1207 represents a critical double-free condition within the libavformat/mov.c component of the FFmpeg multimedia framework, which was integrated into Google Chrome version 41.0.2251.0. This flaw resides in the handling of multimedia file parsing operations, specifically targeting the management of memory allocations during the processing of audio files in the m4a format. The double-free vulnerability occurs when the same memory block is deallocated twice, leading to unpredictable behavior in the application's memory management subsystem. This particular implementation flaw demonstrates a classic memory corruption issue that can be exploited through maliciously crafted media files, making it particularly dangerous in web browser environments where users frequently encounter multimedia content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves the manipulation of the m4a file format parsing logic within FFmpeg's MOV demuxer module. When Chrome processes a specially crafted m4a file, the libavformat component fails to properly manage reference counts or allocation flags during the parsing sequence, resulting in a scenario where a memory block is freed twice consecutively. This condition violates fundamental memory safety principles and creates opportunities for memory corruption that can be leveraged by remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or force application termination. The vulnerability specifically manifests in the context of the MOV container format handling, where the parser does not adequately validate or sanitize the structure of the media file, allowing malicious input to trigger the double-free condition.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant threat to web browser security and user safety. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can deliver malicious m4a files through various attack vectors including compromised websites, email attachments, or file-sharing platforms without requiring user interaction beyond normal browsing behavior. The resulting denial of service condition can cause Chrome to crash and restart, disrupting user sessions and potentially providing a foothold for more sophisticated attacks. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which involves gaining access to systems through the exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption, as the memory corruption can potentially lead to information disclosure or privilege escalation depending on the execution environment.
The mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-1207 primarily focus on immediate patching and software updates to address the underlying FFmpeg implementation flaw. Users should immediately upgrade to Google Chrome versions that include the patched FFmpeg library, typically those released after the vulnerability disclosure date. Browser vendors and system administrators should implement security updates and patches to the underlying multimedia frameworks, particularly focusing on the libavformat component within FFmpeg. Additional protective measures include implementing content filtering systems that can detect and block suspicious m4a files, deploying web application firewalls that monitor for malicious media file patterns, and establishing user education programs to raise awareness about the risks of downloading media files from untrusted sources. Organizations should also consider implementing sandboxing mechanisms that limit the potential impact of exploitation attempts. This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date multimedia libraries and frameworks, as it represents a common class of issues that can be addressed through proper input validation and memory management practices. The flaw also correlates with CWE-415, which describes improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation operations, highlighting the need for rigorous code review and testing of memory management functions in multimedia processing libraries.