CVE-2007-3924 in navigator
Summary
by MITRE
Argument injection vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer, when running on systems with Netscape installed and certain URIs registered, allows remote attackers to conduct cross-browser scripting attacks and execute arbitrary commands via shell metacharacters in a -chrome argument to the navigatorurl URI, which are inserted into the command line that is created when invoking netscape.exe, a related issue to CVE-2007-3670. NOTE: there has been debate about whether the issue is in Internet Explorer or Netscape. As of 20070713, it is CVE s opinion that IE appears to not properly delimit the URL argument when invoking Netscape; this issue could arise with other protocol handlers in IE.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/22/2019
The vulnerability described in CVE-2007-3924 represents a critical argument injection flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer that emerges specifically when the browser operates on systems hosting both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. This security weakness occurs due to improper handling of command line arguments when Internet Explorer attempts to invoke the Netscape executable through the navigatorurl URI protocol handler. The vulnerability exploits a fundamental flaw in how Internet Explorer processes the -chrome argument within the URI, creating a scenario where maliciously crafted shell metacharacters can be injected into the command line execution sequence.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from the lack of proper input sanitization and argument delimitation within Internet Explorer's protocol handler implementation. When a user encounters a malicious URI containing shell metacharacters within the -chrome parameter, Internet Explorer fails to properly escape or quote these arguments before passing them to the netscape.exe executable. This oversight creates an environment where attackers can inject arbitrary commands that execute with the privileges of the user running the browser, effectively enabling remote code execution capabilities. The vulnerability specifically targets the interaction between Internet Explorer's navigation protocol handling and Netscape's executable invocation process, making it a complex cross-browser exploitation vector.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments where both browser products coexist on the same system. The attack surface extends beyond simple cross-browser scripting to include potential privilege escalation and persistent compromise scenarios. Security researchers have noted that this issue demonstrates the dangers of improper argument handling in protocol handlers, as it could potentially affect other protocol handlers within Internet Explorer that exhibit similar vulnerabilities. The vulnerability's impact is amplified by the fact that it can be triggered through web-based attacks, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users frequently browse untrusted websites.
The exploitation of this vulnerability aligns with several ATT&CK framework techniques including T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution, as it leverages command injection to execute arbitrary code. Additionally, the flaw maps to CWE-78 Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an OS Command, which specifically addresses the injection of shell metacharacters into command execution contexts. Organizations should recognize this vulnerability as part of a broader class of issues affecting web browser protocol handlers and consider implementing comprehensive mitigation strategies. The vulnerability's classification as a related issue to CVE-2007-3670 further emphasizes the systemic nature of protocol handler security flaws in Microsoft's browser implementation, highlighting the need for robust input validation and argument sanitization across all protocol handling components.