CVE-2016-1639 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Use-after-free vulnerability in browser/extensions/api/webrtc_audio_private/webrtc_audio_private_api.cc in the WebRTC Audio Private API implementation in Google Chrome before 49.0.2623.75 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact by leveraging incorrect reliance on the resource context pointer.
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2022
The CVE-2016-1639 vulnerability represents a critical use-after-free flaw within Google Chrome's WebRTC Audio Private API implementation, specifically in the file browser/extensions/api/webrtc_audio_private/webrtc_audio_private_api.cc. This vulnerability exists in Chrome versions prior to 49.0.2623.75 and demonstrates a fundamental memory management error that can be exploited by remote attackers to compromise system stability and potentially execute arbitrary code. The flaw stems from incorrect reliance on resource context pointers, creating a scenario where freed memory locations are accessed after the original allocation has been released, leading to unpredictable behavior in the application's memory management system.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the improper handling of memory resources within the WebRTC Audio Private API, which is designed to provide audio processing capabilities for WebRTC applications. When the API processes certain audio-related operations, it maintains pointers to memory locations that are subsequently freed but not properly invalidated. Attackers can leverage this by crafting malicious WebRTC audio requests that trigger the API to access these freed memory regions, causing either a denial of service through application crashes or potentially more severe consequences including arbitrary code execution. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-416, which specifically addresses use-after-free conditions in software implementations.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-1639 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as the vulnerability can be exploited remotely without user interaction, making it particularly dangerous in web browser environments where users frequently encounter untrusted content. The WebRTC Audio Private API is commonly used in modern web applications for real-time communication, video conferencing, and audio processing, meaning that exploitation could affect a broad range of users. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that attackers do not need physical access to the target system, and can deliver malicious payloads through standard web browsing activities. This aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, which covers exploitation for persistence and privilege escalation through remote code execution vulnerabilities.
Organizations and users should prioritize immediate remediation by upgrading to Google Chrome version 49.0.2623.75 or later, which contains the necessary patches to address this memory management flaw. System administrators should also consider implementing additional security measures such as browser hardening configurations, network-based protections, and monitoring for suspicious WebRTC-related activities. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper memory management in browser implementations and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of API implementations, particularly those handling multimedia processing. Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments should be maintained to prevent similar issues from arising in other browser components or third-party applications that may utilize similar memory management patterns.