CVE-2007-5095 in Windows Media Player
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Windows Media Player (WMP) 9 on Windows XP SP2 invokes Internet Explorer to render HTML documents contained inside some media files, regardless of what default web browser is configured, which might allow remote attackers to exploit vulnerabilities in software that the user does not expect to run, as demonstrated by the HTMLView parameter in an .asx file.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/27/2019
Microsoft Windows Media Player version 9 running on Windows XP Service Pack 2 contains a critical design flaw that fundamentally undermines user security expectations and browser isolation principles. This vulnerability stems from WMP's hardcoded behavior of invoking Internet Explorer components to render embedded HTML content within specific media files, regardless of the user's configured default web browser settings. The technical implementation bypasses normal browser security boundaries by directly leveraging IE's rendering engine through the ActiveX infrastructure, creating an unexpected attack surface that adversaries can exploit.
The vulnerability specifically manifests through the HTMLView parameter within .asx playlist files, which are commonly used in Windows Media Player for organizing and streaming multimedia content. When WMP encounters such files, it automatically executes IE's HTML rendering capabilities to display embedded web content, effectively creating a covert browser execution environment that operates outside of normal user awareness and security controls. This behavior violates fundamental security principles of least privilege and application isolation, as users cannot control or monitor which browser components execute when viewing media files. The flaw represents a classic case of improper input validation and insecure default configuration, where the software makes assumptions about user security preferences rather than respecting them.
Operationally, this vulnerability creates significant risk for users who may unknowingly expose themselves to attacks targeting Internet Explorer's known vulnerabilities, including but not limited to cross-site scripting exploits, memory corruption issues, and active content execution flaws. Attackers can craft malicious .asx files that contain embedded HTML and JavaScript code designed to exploit IE vulnerabilities when played through WMP, effectively bypassing traditional browser security controls and user expectations. The impact extends beyond immediate exploitation as it can lead to full system compromise, data theft, and persistent malware installation. This vulnerability particularly affects environments where users have older versions of Internet Explorer or where IE security updates are not current, as the attack surface expands exponentially with the number of exploitable IE vulnerabilities.
The security implications of this vulnerability align with CWE-74 and CWE-75 based on the injection of untrusted data into a web browser context and the insecure handling of user input through media file parsing. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this represents a technique for privilege escalation and initial access through application-specific exploits, specifically targeting the Windows Media Player application and leveraging the trust relationship between media players and web browsers. Mitigation strategies should include disabling automatic HTML rendering within media files, updating to newer versions of Windows Media Player that do not exhibit this behavior, implementing application whitelisting policies to restrict WMP's capabilities, and ensuring that Internet Explorer security settings are properly configured with appropriate security zones and active content controls. Organizations should also consider network-based filtering of .asx files and implementing security awareness training to educate users about the risks of opening unknown media files from untrusted sources.