CVE-2018-6079 in Chrome
Summary
by MITRE
Inappropriate sharing of TEXTURE_2D_ARRAY/TEXTURE_3D data between tabs in WebGL in Google Chrome prior to 65.0.3325.146 allowed a remote attacker to leak cross-origin data via a crafted HTML page.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/20/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-origin data leakage issue within the WebGL graphics API implementation in Google Chrome browsers. The flaw specifically affects the handling of texture data structures, particularly TEXTURE_2D_ARRAY and TEXTURE_3D objects, which are fundamental components of WebGL's rendering capabilities. When multiple browser tabs share the same WebGL context, improper memory management and data sharing mechanisms allowed malicious actors to access texture data that should have been isolated between different origins. The vulnerability stems from insufficient sandboxing and memory isolation controls within the WebGL implementation, creating a pathway for unauthorized data access across domain boundaries.
The technical exploitation involves crafting malicious HTML pages that manipulate WebGL texture objects in ways that bypass normal security restrictions. Attackers could leverage the flawed memory sharing between tabs to read texture data from other origins, effectively enabling cross-site data leakage. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-200, which addresses "Information Exposure," and specifically relates to improper access control mechanisms in graphics APIs. The flaw operates at the intersection of graphics rendering and web security boundaries, where the WebGL implementation failed to properly enforce origin-based access controls for texture memory structures.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure, as it enables sophisticated cross-origin attacks that could compromise user privacy and data confidentiality. An attacker could potentially access sensitive data from other websites, including cached textures, rendering state information, or other graphics-related data that should remain isolated. This vulnerability particularly affects users who maintain multiple tabs open with different origins, as the shared WebGL context creates the attack surface. The issue represents a failure in the browser's security model where graphics rendering components do not properly enforce the same-origin policy that protects other web APIs.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate browser updates to the patched version 65.0.3325.146 or later, which implements proper memory isolation and access controls for WebGL texture objects. Organizations should ensure all Chrome installations are updated and consider implementing additional security measures such as content security policies and regular browser security audits. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in graphics APIs and highlights the need for comprehensive security testing of rendering components. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a technique for information gathering and privilege escalation through browser-based exploits, specifically targeting the T1056.001 sub-technique related to "Input Capture" and T1046 sub-technique for "Network Service Scanning" in the context of graphics API exploitation.