ChromeWeb browser · Google

CVE-2012-5140

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-12-12

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to after 23.0.1271.96 or later.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

Official description

NVD · unedited

Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome before 23.0.1271.97 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via vectors related to the URL loader.

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Google Chrome's URL loader component that allows remote attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service by freeing memory that is still being accessed.

MitigationUpgrade Google Chrome to version 23.0.1271.97 or later. Organizations should deploy the updated browser version across all affected endpoints.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

ChromeWeb browser

Affected:<= 23.0.1271.96= 23.0.1271.0= 23.0.1271.1= 23.0.1271.2= 23.0.1271.3= 23.0.1271.4= 23.0.1271.5= 23.0.1271.6= 23.0.1271.7= 23.0.1271.8= 23.0.1271.9= 23.0.1271.10

OpensuseOperating system

Affected:= 12.1= 12.2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Authentication: None
Confidentiality: Complete
Integrity: Complete
Availability: Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Check installed Google Chrome version

Open Chrome, go to Help > About Google Chrome, or navigate to chrome://version, or run 'google-chrome --version' or 'chrome --version' in terminal

Affected if The version displayed is 23.0.1271.0 through 23.0.1271.96, or any version <= 23.0.1271.96
Check Chrome version on Linux systems

Run 'rpm -q google-chrome' or 'dpkg -l google-chrome' depending on package manager, or check /usr/bin/google-chrome --version

Affected if The reported package version is 23.0.1271-0 through 23.0.1271.96
Verify OpenSUSE Chrome package version

On OpenSUSE 12.1 or 12.2, run 'rpm -qa | grep -i chrome' to list installed Chrome packages and their versions

Affected if The Chrome package version matches the affected ranges listed (any version from 23.0.1271.0 to 23.0.1271.96)
Confirm URL loader is in use

The vulnerability is in the URL loader component. This is a core component automatically used by Chrome for network requests. No manual configuration check needed - if Chrome is running and making web requests, this component is active

Affected if Chrome is actively used for web browsing or making network requests

A user is affected if their installed Google Chrome version falls within 23.0.1271.0 through 23.0.1271.96, including all point releases in that range, on any operating system including OpenSUSE 12.1 and 12.2.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 23.0.1271.96

Interim mitigation

Upgrade Google Chrome to version 23.0.1271.97 or later. Organizations should deploy the updated browser version across all affected endpoints.

Recommended fix High confidence

Chrome 23.0.1271.97 or later

Open Google Chrome and navigate to Help > About Google Chrome to check the current version
If the version is 23.0.1271.96 or lower, click 'Update Google Chrome' to upgrade to the latest version
Alternatively, for OpenSUSE systems, run 'sudo zypper update' or 'sudo zypper in google-chrome-stable' to fetch the updated package
Restart Chrome after the update completes

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Chrome Scoped from the published advisory

Consultation1.0 h
Implementation2.0 h
Testing1.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

5.0 hours of engineering $890

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Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2012-5140 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2012-5140?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to after 23.0.1271.96 or later

Severity 10.0 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 1.7%

Affects: Chrome

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Fix this in Chrome 5 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $890

Get a fix See the full breakdown ↓

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2012-5140 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

Check your environment

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References