CVE-2008-2948 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-domain vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and 8 allows remote attackers to change the location property of a frame via the Object data type, and use a frame from a different domain to observe domain-independent events, as demonstrated by observing onkeydown events with caballero-listener. NOTE: according to Microsoft, this is a duplicate of CVE-2008-2947, possibly a different attack vector.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/25/2024
This vulnerability represents a critical cross-domain security flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and 8 browsers that exploits the handling of ActiveX objects within frame contexts. The issue stems from insufficient cross-domain security boundaries when processing Object data types in web pages, allowing malicious actors to manipulate frame location properties across different domains. The vulnerability specifically targets the browser's object model where frame elements can be manipulated to access events from different security domains, creating a pathway for information disclosure and potentially more severe attacks. This cross-domain violation occurs when the browser fails to properly enforce security policies that should prevent a frame from one domain from accessing or observing events occurring in another domain.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves exploiting the way Internet Explorer handles ActiveX controls and frame navigation when objects are embedded using the object data type. Attackers can craft malicious web pages that include specially constructed object elements designed to manipulate frame properties and location attributes. When a user visits such a page, the malicious code can change the location property of a frame element to point to a different domain, then leverage the frame's ability to observe events from that domain. The demonstration using caballero-listener shows how onkeydown events can be observed across domain boundaries, effectively bypassing the browser's security model that should prevent such cross-domain event observation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple information disclosure to potentially enable more sophisticated attacks including keystroke logging, session hijacking, and cross-site scripting exploitation. Security researchers have classified this issue under CWE-200, which covers "Information Exposure," while the attack pattern aligns with ATT&CK technique T1056.001 for Input Injection and T1566 for Phishing. The vulnerability's exploitation requires social engineering to get users to visit malicious websites, but once executed, it can provide attackers with access to sensitive data that would normally be protected by cross-domain security restrictions. The fact that Microsoft classified this as potentially a duplicate of CVE-2008-2947 indicates the complexity of attack vectors and the need for comprehensive browser security model validation.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability require immediate patching of affected Internet Explorer versions, as Microsoft released security updates addressing this specific cross-domain manipulation issue. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser security policies that disable ActiveX controls where possible, deploy web application firewalls that can detect and block malicious object embedding patterns, and educate users about the risks of visiting untrusted websites. The vulnerability highlights the importance of proper object model security boundaries and demonstrates why browser vendors must continuously validate their security models against sophisticated attack vectors. Network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect unusual frame manipulation patterns and cross-domain navigation attempts that could indicate exploitation of this vulnerability.