CVE-2015-1255 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in content/renderer/media/webaudio_capturer_source.cc in the WebAudio implementation in Google Chrome before 43.0.2357.65 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (heap memory corruption) or possibly have unspecified other impact by leveraging improper handling of a stop action for an audio track.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/19/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1255 represents a critical use-after-free condition within Google Chrome's WebAudio implementation that existed prior to version 43.0.2357.65. This flaw resides in the content/renderer/media/webaudio_capturer_source.cc file and demonstrates a fundamental issue in how the browser handles audio track lifecycle management. The vulnerability specifically manifests when the system processes a stop action for an audio track, creating a scenario where memory previously freed by the application remains accessible to subsequent operations. Such improper memory management creates a dangerous condition where attackers can manipulate the freed memory location to execute arbitrary code or cause system instability. The WebAudio API implementation in Chrome is designed to handle real-time audio processing and streaming, making this vulnerability particularly concerning given the extensive use of web-based audio applications across the internet. This issue falls under the CWE-416 category of Use After Free, which is classified as a common weakness in software development practices where memory is accessed after it has been deallocated. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of browser security and multimedia processing, where the improper handling of audio track lifecycle events creates a potential attack surface that could be exploited through malicious web content.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability involves crafting malicious web content that triggers the specific sequence leading to the use-after-free condition. When an audio track is stopped and subsequently freed from memory, the WebAudio implementation fails to properly invalidate references or update internal data structures. Attackers can leverage this by creating audio tracks that are repeatedly started and stopped in a manner that causes the freed memory to be reallocated and subsequently accessed by malicious code. The heap memory corruption that results from this improper handling can manifest as application crashes, memory corruption, or potentially more severe outcomes including privilege escalation or code execution. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service as it could potentially allow attackers to execute arbitrary code within the browser's sandboxed environment, given the extensive privileges granted to web content. The attack vector is remote and requires no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website, making it particularly dangerous for widespread exploitation. This vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter: PowerShell, as it represents a potential entry point for more sophisticated attacks that could leverage the heap corruption for privilege escalation.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-1255 extends significantly beyond immediate denial of service conditions, as the heap corruption can lead to unpredictable system behavior and potential data compromise. Organizations running affected Chrome versions face substantial risk due to the widespread adoption of Google Chrome as a primary web browser across enterprise and consumer environments. The vulnerability's potential for remote code execution makes it particularly attractive to threat actors seeking to establish persistent access to target systems. Browser-based attacks leveraging such memory corruption vulnerabilities are often used as initial compromise vectors in advanced persistent threat campaigns, where the initial foothold is established through web-based exploitation before progressing to more sophisticated attack stages. The remediation process requires immediate patching of affected Chrome installations, as the vulnerability cannot be effectively mitigated through configuration changes or network-level controls. Security teams must prioritize this vulnerability due to its potential for being leveraged in targeted attacks against high-value targets, particularly those with less frequent patching cycles or legacy systems that may not receive timely security updates. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in browser implementations and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of multimedia processing components within web browsers. Organizations should implement immediate patch management procedures and consider deploying additional security controls such as web application firewalls or browser isolation technologies to protect against exploitation attempts while awaiting official patches. The incident underscores the necessity of maintaining up-to-date browser security patches as part of comprehensive cybersecurity defense strategies.