CVE-2016-5182 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Blink in Google Chrome prior to 54.0.2840.59 for Windows, Mac, and Linux; 54.0.2840.85 for Android had insufficient validation in bitmap handling, which allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit heap corruption via crafted HTML pages.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/12/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-5182 resides within the Blink rendering engine used by Google Chrome across multiple platforms including Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. This flaw represents a critical heap corruption issue that stems from inadequate validation mechanisms within the bitmap handling component of the browser's rendering pipeline. The vulnerability affects Chrome versions prior to 54.0.2840.59 on desktop platforms and 54.0.2840.85 on Android, making it a widespread concern across the browser ecosystem. The issue manifests when the browser processes crafted HTML pages that contain maliciously constructed bitmap data, creating a potential attack vector for remote exploitation.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the insufficient input validation performed by the bitmap processing subsystem within Blink. When Chrome encounters bitmap data within HTML content, the rendering engine fails to properly validate the structure and boundaries of the bitmap data before attempting to process it in memory. This validation gap allows attackers to craft HTML pages containing malformed bitmap data that, when rendered by the browser, triggers memory corruption patterns. The heap corruption occurs because the browser allocates memory based on incorrect assumptions about the bitmap data size or structure, leading to memory overwrite conditions that can be exploited by remote attackers. This flaw specifically aligns with CWE-122, which describes insufficient validation of the length of a buffer, and represents a classic heap-based buffer overflow scenario.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-5182 is significant as it enables remote code execution through web-based attacks. An attacker can craft a malicious webpage containing specially formatted bitmap data that, when loaded in a vulnerable Chrome browser, causes the heap corruption to occur. This vulnerability can be leveraged for various malicious activities including arbitrary code execution, privilege escalation, and system compromise. The attack requires no user interaction beyond visiting the malicious webpage, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or drive-by download scenarios. The vulnerability's presence in multiple operating systems and device types increases its attack surface and potential impact across different user bases.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-5182 primarily focus on immediate browser updates to patched versions that contain proper bitmap validation mechanisms. Users and organizations should prioritize updating to Chrome versions 54.0.2840.59 or later for desktop platforms and 54.0.2840.85 or later for Android devices. Additionally, implementing web application firewalls and content filtering systems can provide additional layers of protection by blocking suspicious HTML content containing malformed bitmap data. Security teams should also consider deploying browser hardening measures such as disabling unnecessary bitmap processing features and implementing strict content security policies. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving remote code execution through web browsers and can be mitigated through defensive measures targeting command and control communications and browser exploitation frameworks.