CVE-2016-2052 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple unspecified vulnerabilities in HarfBuzz before 1.0.6, as used in Google Chrome before 48.0.2564.82, allow attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have other impact via unknown vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/06/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-2052 represents a critical security flaw in the HarfBuzz text shaping library, which serves as a core component in rendering complex text layouts across various applications and web browsers. This library, designed to handle Unicode text shaping and positioning, was found to contain multiple unspecified vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors to compromise system integrity and availability. The affected version range spans pre-1.0.6 releases of HarfBuzz, making it a significant concern for systems that rely on this text processing framework for proper rendering of internationalized content.
The technical nature of these vulnerabilities lies in the improper handling of malformed or specially crafted input data within the HarfBuzz library's text processing algorithms. These flaws manifest as memory corruption issues, buffer overflows, or other memory management errors that occur during text shaping operations when processing complex Unicode characters and scripts. Attackers can leverage these weaknesses through carefully constructed text input that triggers the vulnerable code paths, potentially leading to application crashes, memory corruption, or other unintended behaviors. The unspecified nature of the vulnerabilities suggests that multiple distinct code paths within the library could be exploited, making the attack surface broader than initially apparent.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-2052 extends beyond simple denial of service conditions, as the vulnerabilities could potentially enable more sophisticated attacks depending on the execution environment. When integrated into Google Chrome versions prior to 48.0.2564.82, these flaws provided attackers with opportunities to cause browser crashes, potentially leading to system instability or even arbitrary code execution in certain scenarios. The vulnerability's presence in a widely-used text rendering library meant that exploitation could affect numerous applications and systems, creating a substantial risk for organizations relying on complex text processing capabilities. The attack vectors typically involve manipulating text content in web pages, documents, or other media that utilize HarfBuzz for proper text display.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability aligns with common weakness patterns found in text processing libraries and corresponds to attack techniques categorized under software exploitation and memory corruption. The remediation strategy requires immediate deployment of HarfBuzz version 1.0.6 or later, which contains patches addressing the identified vulnerabilities. Organizations should also implement comprehensive patch management procedures to ensure all systems utilizing HarfBuzz are updated promptly. Additional mitigations include implementing web application firewalls, content filtering systems, and monitoring for suspicious text input patterns that could indicate attempted exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date text processing libraries and highlights the potential for seemingly benign text rendering components to serve as attack vectors in modern computing environments.