CVE-2006-1192 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 through 6 allows remote attackers to conduct phishing attacks by spoofing the address bar and other parts of the trust UI via unknown methods that allow "window content to persist" after the user has navigated to another site, aka the "Address Bar Spoofing Vulnerability." NOTE: this is a different vulnerability than CVE-2006-1626.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/04/2025
The CVE-2006-1192 vulnerability represents a critical address bar spoofing flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5.01 through 6 that fundamentally undermines user trust in the browser's security interface. This vulnerability operates by exploiting the browser's handling of window content persistence mechanisms, allowing malicious actors to maintain visual elements of a fraudulent website even after users have navigated away from it. The flaw specifically targets the trust user interface components that users rely upon to verify website authenticity, creating a deceptive environment where attackers can manipulate the browser's address bar display and other visual indicators to mimic legitimate websites. The vulnerability's classification under CWE-200 (Information Exposure) and its alignment with ATT&CK technique T1566.001 (Phishing) demonstrates its primary purpose in facilitating social engineering attacks. The persistence mechanism exploited in this vulnerability allows attackers to maintain control over the browser's visual representation long after normal navigation procedures would typically clear such content, effectively bypassing the security assumptions users make about browser behavior when transitioning between sites.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability leverages the browser's rendering engine's inadequate handling of window content lifecycle management, particularly concerning how it manages the relationship between different document contexts and the address bar display. When users navigate away from a page, the browser should typically clear or update the address bar to reflect the new location, but this vulnerability allows malicious code to maintain previous content visibility. Attackers can craft web pages that utilize JavaScript and DOM manipulation techniques to create persistent visual elements that continue to display even after navigation occurs, exploiting the gap between expected browser behavior and actual implementation. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple address bar manipulation to include other trust indicators such as security status icons, page titles, and potentially other UI elements that users rely upon to make security decisions. This persistent content display creates an environment where users may be deceived into believing they are on a legitimate website when they are actually interacting with malicious content, fundamentally compromising the browser's role as a security mediator between users and the internet.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-1192 enables sophisticated phishing campaigns that can deceive users with high confidence due to the visual authenticity maintained by the exploit. Attackers can create convincing fake banking or e-commerce sites that maintain their appearance even after users attempt to navigate away, leading to successful credential theft and financial fraud. The vulnerability's persistence characteristics make it particularly dangerous because users may not immediately recognize that they have been redirected or that the displayed content is fraudulent, as the visual interface continues to show familiar elements from the legitimate site. This allows for extended interaction periods where users can be诱导 into entering sensitive information without realizing they are no longer on the intended website. The vulnerability's exploitation requires no special privileges or advanced technical knowledge, making it accessible to attackers with basic web development skills and significantly amplifying its threat potential. Organizations and individuals using affected IE versions face substantial risk of successful phishing attacks that could result in financial loss, identity theft, and compromise of sensitive corporate data.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2006-1192 focus primarily on immediate browser upgrades to newer versions that have addressed this vulnerability through improved window content management and trust UI handling. Microsoft released patches for this vulnerability in subsequent updates, but the most effective defense involves transitioning away from the affected IE versions entirely, as these browsers lack modern security features and are no longer supported. Security configurations should include disabling JavaScript and other potentially exploitable features when browsing untrusted sites, though this approach reduces functionality. Network-level defenses such as content filtering and web application firewalls can provide additional protection by blocking known malicious patterns, but these measures cannot prevent all instances of this vulnerability. User education remains critical, as awareness of phishing tactics and the importance of verifying website authenticity through multiple indicators can help reduce successful exploitation rates. Organizations should implement comprehensive patch management policies that ensure all systems are updated with the latest security patches, while also considering browser virtualization or sandboxing techniques to isolate potentially malicious content. The vulnerability's classification under the broader category of UI redressing attacks underscores the importance of maintaining robust security practices and the need for continuous monitoring of browser security implementations to prevent similar issues from emerging in newer software versions.