CVE-2016-1683 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
numbers.c in libxslt before 1.1.29, as used in Google Chrome before 51.0.2704.63, mishandles namespace nodes, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (out-of-bounds heap memory access) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted document.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/22/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-1683 represents a critical memory safety issue within the libxslt library version 1.1.28 and earlier, which was subsequently integrated into Google Chrome browser versions prior to 51.0.2704.63. This flaw resides in the numbers.c module, specifically in how the library processes namespace nodes during XSLT transformations. The issue manifests when the library encounters malformed or crafted XML documents that contain unexpected namespace node structures, leading to improper memory management during processing operations. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-125 as an out-of-bounds read condition, which can result in unpredictable behavior and system instability. From an operational perspective, this flaw enables remote attackers to exploit the memory handling mechanisms through carefully constructed XML documents that trigger the problematic namespace node processing code path. When such documents are processed by affected browsers or applications utilizing vulnerable libxslt versions, the heap memory access patterns become corrupted, potentially leading to denial of service conditions where the application crashes or becomes unresponsive. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple denial of service as it may also permit arbitrary code execution in certain scenarios, making it particularly dangerous for web-based applications where users might be exposed to malicious content without their knowledge. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, as it leverages client-side vulnerabilities to execute malicious code or cause system disruptions. The root cause stems from inadequate bounds checking and memory validation within the namespace node handling routines, where the library fails to properly validate the structure and boundaries of namespace-related data during transformation processes. This allows attackers to manipulate memory access patterns through crafted input that bypasses normal validation checks, leading to heap-based buffer overflows or out-of-bounds memory access violations. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input sanitization and memory management in XML processing libraries, particularly those handling complex transformation operations like XSLT. Organizations using affected software should prioritize immediate patching and updates to prevent exploitation, as the vulnerability can be leveraged in web-based attacks without user interaction, making it particularly concerning for browser vendors and web application developers. The fix implemented in libxslt version 1.1.29 included enhanced validation of namespace node structures and improved memory boundary checking to prevent the out-of-bounds access conditions that previously allowed exploitation.