CVE-2006-6885 in Shockwave
Summary
by MITRE
An ActiveX control in SwDir.dll in Macromedia Shockwave 10 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (Internet Explorer 7 crash) via a long string in the swURL attribute.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/21/2024
The vulnerability described in CVE-2006-6885 represents a classic buffer overflow condition within the ActiveX control implementation of Macromedia Shockwave 10. This flaw specifically affects the SwDir.dll component which is responsible for handling Shockwave content within Internet Explorer browsers. The vulnerability manifests when a maliciously crafted web page attempts to load Shockwave content with an excessively long string value in the swURL attribute parameter, causing the ActiveX control to attempt to process data beyond its allocated memory boundaries.
This issue falls under the category of CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and more specifically aligns with CWE-122, heap-based buffer overflow scenarios that can occur in ActiveX controls. The vulnerability exploits the lack of proper input validation within the Shockwave ActiveX control's parameter handling mechanism, where the swURL attribute fails to enforce reasonable length limits before processing the provided string data. When Internet Explorer 7 encounters this malformed attribute value, the ActiveX control's internal memory management fails to handle the excessive string length properly, resulting in memory corruption that ultimately leads to browser crash and system instability.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service, as it represents a potential vector for more sophisticated attacks within the context of browser exploitation. When Internet Explorer 7 crashes due to this vulnerability, it creates an opportunity for attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges, particularly since the control operates with elevated privileges within the browser context. The vulnerability affects users who have Shockwave 10 installed and are browsing web content that includes maliciously crafted Shockwave objects, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users are exposed to untrusted web content.
From a threat modeling perspective, this vulnerability maps to several ATT&CK techniques including T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) as it enables attackers to execute malicious code through browser-based attack vectors. The exploitation requires minimal user interaction beyond visiting a malicious webpage, making it particularly effective for social engineering campaigns. Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense including browser security policies, ActiveX control restrictions, and regular software updates to mitigate this risk. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of proper input validation and memory management in ActiveX controls, as well as the critical need for regular security updates in third-party browser plugins. Additionally, network-level protections such as content filtering and web application firewalls can help prevent exploitation of this vulnerability by blocking malicious Shockwave content before it reaches vulnerable systems.