CVE-2002-1714 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 through 6.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) via an object of type "text/html" with the DATA field that identifies the HTML document that contains the object, which may cause infinite recursion.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/21/2025
This vulnerability exists in Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5.0 through 6.0 and represents a classic stack overflow condition that leads to denial of service. The flaw occurs when the browser encounters a specially crafted html object with a DATA field that references the same html document, creating a recursive loop that exhausts system resources and causes the application to crash. The vulnerability is classified under CWE-121 as a stack-based buffer overflow, though in this specific case it manifests as a recursion issue rather than traditional buffer overflows. The attack vector involves remote exploitation through malicious web content that triggers the infinite recursion when processing html objects.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the browser's handling of html object references within the DATA field attribute. When Internet Explorer processes an html object that contains a DATA field pointing back to the same document, the browser's parsing engine enters an infinite loop where it continuously processes the same html structure. This recursive processing consumes memory and cpu resources until the browser becomes unresponsive and crashes. The vulnerability specifically affects the html rendering engine's object handling mechanism, where the browser fails to properly detect and terminate recursive references in html object definitions.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents a significant risk to users of legacy internet explorer versions, particularly in enterprise environments where older browsers may still be in use. The impact extends beyond simple service disruption as it can be exploited through web-based attacks, potentially allowing attackers to compromise user sessions or disrupt business operations. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1210 for exploitation of remote services and T1499 for denial of service attacks. Organizations running affected versions of Internet Explorer face potential exposure to automated exploitation attempts that could disrupt normal business operations and require immediate remediation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate patching of affected Internet Explorer versions, implementing browser security policies that restrict html object processing, and deploying network-based protections such as web application firewalls. Organizations should also consider browser hardening measures including disabling automatic html object processing and implementing content security policies. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation in web browsers and highlights the risks associated with legacy software support. Given the age of the affected versions, the recommended approach involves migrating to supported browser versions and implementing comprehensive security monitoring to detect exploitation attempts. This vulnerability serves as a reminder of the critical need for regular security updates and the dangers of maintaining unsupported software in production environments.