CVE-2017-5095 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Stack overflow in PDFium in Google Chrome prior to 60.0.3112.78 for Linux, Windows, and Mac allowed a remote attacker to potentially exploit stack corruption via a crafted PDF file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/05/2023
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2017-5095 represents a critical stack overflow condition within PDFium, the PDF rendering library that powers Google Chrome's document handling capabilities across multiple operating systems. This flaw existed in Chrome versions prior to 60.0.3112.78 and affected users running Linux, Windows, and Mac platforms, creating a widespread security concern given Chrome's extensive user base and the common practice of opening PDF documents in web browsers.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from inadequate input validation within PDFium's parsing routines for handling crafted PDF files. When a maliciously constructed PDF document is processed by the vulnerable Chrome version, the parsing logic fails to properly bounds-check data structures during stack operations, leading to memory corruption that can be exploited to overwrite adjacent stack memory locations. This particular flaw falls under the CWE-121 stack-based buffer overflow category, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to write beyond allocated stack memory boundaries.
The operational impact of CVE-2017-5095 extends beyond simple denial of service scenarios, as remote attackers could potentially leverage this stack corruption to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The vulnerability's remote exploitability means that users need only open a malicious PDF file, either through web browsing or direct file opening, to be potentially compromised. This attack vector aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, where adversaries leverage software vulnerabilities to execute malicious code remotely without requiring physical access to target systems. The exploitation typically involves crafting a PDF file that triggers the buffer overflow during parsing, potentially allowing attackers to overwrite return addresses or function pointers on the stack.
The security implications of this vulnerability are particularly severe given Chrome's position as one of the most widely used web browsers globally, with millions of users potentially exposed to remote code execution attacks through simple PDF document interactions. The cross-platform nature of the vulnerability means that all supported operating systems were equally at risk, eliminating any platform-specific mitigations that might otherwise be possible. Organizations relying on Chrome for document viewing and web browsing faced significant exposure, as the vulnerability could be exploited through phishing campaigns, malicious websites, or compromised advertising networks that delivered crafted PDF content to unsuspecting users.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2017-5095 centered primarily on immediate software updates to Chrome version 60.0.3112.78 or later, which contained the necessary patches to address the stack overflow conditions in PDFium. System administrators and security teams were advised to implement rapid deployment of the updated Chrome versions across all affected endpoints, particularly in enterprise environments where users might be exposed to untrusted PDF content through various channels. Additional protective measures included implementing browser security policies that restricted PDF handling, deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious content, and educating users about the risks of opening untrusted PDF documents from unknown sources. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date software components and demonstrated how seemingly benign document handling functionality could serve as a critical attack surface for sophisticated exploitation attempts.