CVE-2015-1281 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
core/loader/ImageLoader.cpp in Blink, as used in Google Chrome before 44.0.2403.89, does not properly determine the V8 context of a microtask, which allows remote attackers to bypass Content Security Policy (CSP) restrictions by providing an image from an unintended source.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/03/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1281 resides within the Blink rendering engine's image loading component, specifically in the ImageLoader.cpp file. This flaw represents a critical security issue that affects Google Chrome versions prior to 44.0.2403.89, where the browser's security mechanisms fail to properly validate the V8 execution context during microtask processing. The vulnerability stems from an insufficient implementation of context validation that allows malicious actors to exploit the system's trust model when handling image resources.
The technical root cause involves the improper determination of V8 context within microtask execution flows, where the image loading mechanism fails to properly verify the security context of the executing code. This misconfiguration creates an opportunity for attackers to manipulate the execution environment and bypass Content Security Policy restrictions that are designed to prevent unauthorized resource loading. The flaw operates at the intersection of JavaScript execution context management and resource loading security boundaries, creating a path for privilege escalation through carefully crafted malicious content.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability enables remote attackers to circumvent Content Security Policy protections that are fundamental to modern web security architectures. The attack vector typically involves delivering malicious images from unintended sources that would normally be blocked by CSP policies, allowing attackers to execute unauthorized code or access restricted resources. This represents a significant bypass of web application security controls and can lead to data exfiltration, cross-site scripting attacks, or further exploitation of the target system.
The impact of CVE-2015-1281 aligns with CWE-284, which addresses improper access control in software systems, and demonstrates how context management failures can undermine security policies. This vulnerability also maps to ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for JavaScript execution and T1566 for social engineering through malicious content delivery. Organizations running affected Chrome versions face heightened risk of targeted attacks that exploit this context confusion to bypass security controls that are essential for protecting against cross-site scripting and other web-based attacks.
Mitigation strategies should prioritize immediate patching of Chrome installations to version 44.0.2403.89 or later, where the V8 context determination logic has been corrected. Additionally, organizations should implement network-level monitoring to detect suspicious image loading patterns and consider deploying additional security layers such as web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious content delivery attempts. Security teams should also review and strengthen their Content Security Policy implementations to provide defense-in-depth against similar context-based bypass attacks that may exploit similar vulnerabilities in other components.