CVE-2016-1578 in Oxide
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Oxide allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (application crash) or execute arbitrary code via unspecified vectors, related to responding synchronously to permission requests.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/19/2022
The CVE-2016-1578 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw within the Oxide rendering engine component that powers web browsers and applications. This vulnerability specifically manifests when the system handles synchronous responses to permission requests, creating a scenario where memory previously allocated to objects becomes accessible after being freed, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation. The flaw resides in how Oxide manages memory allocation and deallocation during the processing of permission-related operations, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through remote network interactions without requiring local privileges.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management practices within the Oxide engine's permission handling subsystem. When applications process synchronous permission requests, the system allocates memory for response objects and subsequently frees this memory upon completion of the operation. However, a race condition or improper reference counting mechanism allows attackers to manipulate the timing or access patterns to cause the system to reference freed memory locations. This use-after-free condition creates opportunities for attackers to either crash the application through memory corruption or potentially execute arbitrary code by carefully crafting input that exploits the freed memory layout. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-416 as Use After Free, which is a well-known weakness pattern in software security that has been extensively documented in security literature and industry standards.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as it provides attackers with potential code execution capabilities that can be leveraged for more sophisticated attacks. Remote attackers can exploit this vulnerability through web-based attacks, requiring no special privileges or local access to compromise affected systems. The vulnerability affects applications built on the Oxide rendering engine, which includes various browser implementations and web-based applications that rely on this component for rendering content and handling user interactions. Attackers can construct malicious web pages or content that, when processed by vulnerable applications, triggers the use-after-free condition and allows for arbitrary code execution or system compromise. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious content through web browsing or email attachments.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-1578 should focus on immediate patching of affected systems and implementation of additional security controls. Organizations should prioritize applying vendor patches and updates that address the memory management issues within the Oxide engine, as these typically include fixes for the specific use-after-free conditions. Additionally, implementing network-based security controls such as web application firewalls and content filtering systems can help prevent exploitation attempts by blocking malicious content before it reaches vulnerable applications. Browser hardening techniques including sandboxing, privilege separation, and memory protection mechanisms should be enabled to limit the potential impact of successful exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also aligns with several ATT&CK techniques including T1059 for command and script interpreter and T1070 for indicator removal, as attackers may attempt to establish persistence or cover their tracks after successful exploitation. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify systems running affected versions of Oxide-based applications, while incident response procedures should be updated to address potential exploitation attempts.