CVE-2015-1223 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple use-after-free vulnerabilities in core/html/HTMLInputElement.cpp in the DOM implementation in Blink, as used in Google Chrome before 41.0.2272.76, allow remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors that trigger extraneous change events, as demonstrated by events for invalid input or input to read-only fields, related to the initializeTypeInParsing and updateType functions.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1223 represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the Blink rendering engine's DOM implementation, specifically in the HTMLInputElement.cpp file. This vulnerability affects Google Chrome versions prior to 41.0.2272.76 and demonstrates the dangerous consequences that can arise from improper memory management in browser components that handle dynamic HTML content. The flaw manifests when the browser processes certain input elements and their associated event handling mechanisms, creating conditions where freed memory locations are accessed after being deallocated, potentially leading to system instability or arbitrary code execution.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from the improper handling of change events in HTML input elements during the parsing and updating phases of web page rendering. When the initializeTypeInParsing and updateType functions process input elements, they fail to properly validate the state of memory references before accessing them, particularly when dealing with invalid input scenarios or attempts to modify read-only fields. This creates a race condition where memory that has been freed by the garbage collector or explicit deallocation operations is still referenced, leading to unpredictable behavior. The vulnerability is particularly insidious because it occurs during routine DOM operations that web applications frequently perform, making exploitation relatively straightforward for attackers who can craft malicious web pages.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-1223 extends beyond simple denial of service to potentially enable more severe attacks including remote code execution. When attackers can trigger use-after-free conditions in browser components, they often have opportunities to manipulate memory layout and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the browser process. The vulnerability's exploitation requires crafting specific web content that triggers the problematic code path involving invalid input handling and read-only field modifications, but once successful, the consequences can be devastating. This vulnerability directly relates to CWE-416, which defines use-after-free conditions as a critical memory safety issue, and aligns with ATT&CK techniques involving memory corruption and privilege escalation. The impact is particularly concerning in modern web environments where browsers serve as the primary interface for executing untrusted content, making this vulnerability a significant threat vector for various attack scenarios including drive-by downloads and social engineering campaigns.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve immediate patching of affected Chrome versions to the secure release 41.0.2272.76 or later, which contains the necessary fixes for the memory management issues in HTML input element handling. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser update policies and consider deploying automated patch management systems to ensure timely remediation across all affected systems. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing web application firewalls and content filtering solutions that can detect and block suspicious web content patterns associated with known exploitation techniques. The vulnerability highlights the importance of regular security assessments of browser components and the need for robust memory safety practices in web rendering engines, particularly when handling user input and event-driven DOM modifications. Security teams should also monitor for similar patterns in other browser components and maintain awareness of related vulnerabilities that may present similar memory safety concerns in the broader web ecosystem.