CVE-2006-4494 in Visual Studio
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (memory corruption) and possibly execute arbitrary code by instantiating certain Visual Studio 6.0 ActiveX COM Objects in Internet Explorer, including (1) tcprops.dll, (2) fp30wec.dll, (3) mdt2db.dll, (4) mdt2qd.dll, and (5) vi30aut.dll.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/25/2017
This vulnerability resides in Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 and represents a critical security flaw that enables remote attackers to compromise systems through Internet Explorer's ActiveX control execution mechanisms. The vulnerability specifically affects five distinct Dynamic Link Libraries that contain ActiveX COM objects, creating multiple attack vectors for malicious actors seeking to exploit the software. These components include tcprops.dll, fp30wec.dll, mdt2db.dll, mdt2qd.dll, and vi30aut.dll, all of which are part of the Visual Studio 6.0 runtime environment and can be loaded within web browsers when users visit malicious websites or open compromised documents. The flaw stems from improper input validation and memory management within these ActiveX controls, allowing attackers to craft malicious payloads that trigger buffer overflows or other memory corruption conditions when the objects are instantiated in Internet Explorer's execution context.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through the manipulation of ActiveX control parameters during object instantiation, where attackers can pass malformed or excessively large input values that exceed the allocated memory buffers within the vulnerable DLLs. This memory corruption can result in unpredictable program behavior, application crashes, and in some cases, complete system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the browser level where ActiveX controls are executed with the privileges of the currently logged-in user, potentially enabling privilege escalation scenarios. According to CWE classification, this represents a CWE-121: Stack-based Buffer Overflow, which is a well-known category of vulnerabilities that occurs when more data is written to a buffer than it can hold, leading to memory corruption. The attack vector is classified as remote since exploitation can occur through web-based delivery mechanisms without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous for widespread deployment.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service conditions to potentially enable full system compromise through remote code execution capabilities. When successfully exploited, attackers can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected user, potentially leading to complete system takeover, data exfiltration, or deployment of additional malware. The vulnerability affects systems running Visual Studio 6.0 and Internet Explorer, creating a significant risk for organizations that have not migrated away from legacy software environments. The attack surface is particularly broad since these ActiveX controls are commonly loaded in web browsing scenarios, making them accessible to attackers through various delivery methods including malicious websites, email attachments, or compromised web applications. Organizations with legacy Visual Studio 6.0 installations face substantial risk exposure given the age of this software and the lack of ongoing security support for the platform.
Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate removal of vulnerable ActiveX controls from Internet Explorer environments, implementation of security policies that prevent ActiveX control loading, and comprehensive system hardening measures. Organizations should disable ActiveX controls entirely in Internet Explorer unless absolutely required for business operations, as the attack surface remains significant even when controls are properly configured. The implementation of security controls aligned with ATT&CK framework techniques such as T1176 for Web Shell deployment and T1059 for command and scripting interpreter usage can help detect and prevent exploitation attempts. System administrators should also implement network-based protections including firewall rules that block access to known malicious domains and implement browser security configurations that restrict ActiveX control execution. Regular vulnerability assessments should identify and remediate legacy software installations that may contain similar vulnerabilities, while security monitoring systems should be configured to detect anomalous ActiveX control loading patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. Given the age of Visual Studio 6.0, organizations should prioritize migration to supported development environments to eliminate this and similar legacy vulnerabilities from their attack surface.