CVE-2006-3354 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) by setting the Filter property of an ADODB.Recordset ActiveX object to certain values multiple times, which triggers a null dereference.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/07/2019
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 contains a critical vulnerability in its handling of ActiveX objects that enables remote attackers to execute denial of service attacks through carefully crafted input sequences. This vulnerability specifically affects the ADODB.Recordset ActiveX component where the Filter property becomes susceptible to null pointer dereference conditions when manipulated repeatedly. The flaw exists within the browser's object model implementation and represents a classic software defect pattern that has been documented in various security frameworks including CWE-476 which describes null pointer dereference vulnerabilities.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves the manipulation of the Filter property within ADODB.Recordset objects through ActiveX interfaces. When an attacker repeatedly sets this property to specific values, the underlying memory management routines fail to properly validate the state of the object reference before attempting to access it. This creates a scenario where a null pointer is dereferenced, causing the Internet Explorer process to crash and terminate unexpectedly. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it requires no user interaction beyond visiting a malicious web page, making it a prime candidate for automated exploitation.
The operational impact of CVE-2006-3354 extends beyond simple service disruption as it can be leveraged to create persistent availability issues for users relying on Internet Explorer 6. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that, when loaded in the browser, will trigger the crash condition repeatedly, potentially rendering the browser unusable for extended periods. This type of vulnerability directly maps to ATT&CK technique T1499 which covers denial of service attacks, and the weakness manifests as a failure in proper input validation and memory management within the browser's ActiveX handling subsystem.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should implement immediate mitigations including disabling ActiveX controls in Internet Explorer, deploying browser security updates from Microsoft, and implementing network-based protections such as web application firewalls to filter malicious content. The recommended approach involves applying the security patch released by Microsoft that addresses the underlying memory management flaw in the ADODB component. Additionally, security teams should monitor for exploitation attempts through network traffic analysis and implement proper input sanitization for any applications that might interact with similar ActiveX components. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper memory management in browser environments and highlights the need for comprehensive testing of ActiveX object interfaces to prevent similar null pointer dereference conditions in future implementations.