CVE-2004-0719 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Internet Explorer for Mac 5.2.3, Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP, and possibly other versions, does not properly prevent a frame in one domain from injecting content into a frame that belongs to another domain, which facilitates web site spoofing and other attacks, aka the frame injection vulnerability.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2021
The frame injection vulnerability identified as CVE-2004-0719 represents a critical security flaw in web browser implementations that violates fundamental principles of web security and cross-origin resource sharing. This vulnerability affects Internet Explorer versions including Mac 5.2.3 and Windows XP version 6, demonstrating how browser vendors historically struggled with implementing proper security boundaries between different web domains. The flaw stems from inadequate enforcement of the same-origin policy, which is a cornerstone security mechanism designed to prevent malicious websites from accessing resources across different domains. This particular vulnerability specifically targets the frame containment model where browsers should maintain strict separation between frames originating from different domains, yet failed to enforce these boundaries properly.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the way Internet Explorer handled frame navigation and content injection mechanisms. When a web page contains multiple frames or iframes, the browser should enforce strict isolation between these different security contexts. However, the flaw allowed a malicious frame from one domain to inject content into a frame belonging to another domain, effectively bypassing the browser's security model. This occurs through various means including JavaScript injection, frame manipulation, and cross-domain content loading that should have been blocked by the browser's security architecture. The vulnerability operates at the core of web browser security architecture and represents a failure in the implementation of the origin-based security model that is fundamental to modern web applications.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends far beyond simple technical exploitation, creating significant risks for both end users and web application developers. Attackers could leverage this flaw to perform sophisticated web site spoofing attacks where malicious content appears to originate from legitimate domains, making it extremely difficult for users to distinguish between authentic and compromised web pages. This vulnerability enables man-in-the-middle attacks, credential harvesting, and session hijacking scenarios where attackers can inject malicious content into trusted web applications. The implications for enterprise environments are particularly severe as this vulnerability could be exploited to compromise user sessions across multiple web applications, potentially leading to unauthorized access to sensitive corporate data and systems. This type of vulnerability directly maps to attack patterns described in the attack tree methodology where multiple attack vectors can be chained together to achieve broader security breaches.
From a security standards perspective, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-94, which describes the weakness of allowing code to be injected into a system, and represents a failure in proper input validation and security boundary enforcement. The vulnerability also corresponds to ATT&CK technique T1059, which covers the use of scripting languages to execute malicious code, as attackers would likely utilize JavaScript injection methods to exploit this frame injection capability. The flaw demonstrates a critical gap in the browser's security model implementation and highlights the importance of proper sandboxing and isolation mechanisms. Organizations should consider this vulnerability as part of their broader web application security posture and implement comprehensive monitoring solutions to detect potential exploitation attempts. The remediation approach requires immediate patching of affected browser versions and implementation of additional security controls including content security policies, proper frame loading restrictions, and enhanced user education about the risks of visiting untrusted websites.
The broader implications of this vulnerability extend to the evolution of web security standards and the development of more robust browser security models. This flaw contributed to the development of more stringent security measures in subsequent browser versions and reinforced the importance of proper implementation of cross-origin security policies. The vulnerability also underscores the need for comprehensive security testing and validation of web browser implementations, particularly around frame and iframe handling mechanisms. Security professionals should recognize this as a historical example of how insufficient attention to security boundaries in web browsers can create exploitable conditions that persist across multiple versions and platforms, emphasizing the critical importance of regular security updates and proper vulnerability management practices.