CVE-2008-4255 in Visual Basic
Summary
by MITRE
Heap-based buffer overflow in mscomct2.ocx (aka Windows Common ActiveX control or Microsoft Animation ActiveX control) in Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Studio .NET 2002 SP1 and 2003 SP1, Visual FoxPro 8.0 SP1 and 9.0 SP1 and SP2, and Office Project 2003 SP3 and 2007 Gold and SP1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via an AVI file with a crafted stream length, which triggers an "allocation error" and memory corruption, aka "Windows Common AVI Parsing Overflow Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/21/2019
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2008-4255 represents a critical heap-based buffer overflow affecting Microsoft's mscomct2.ocx ActiveX control, which is part of the Windows Common Controls library. This flaw exists within several Microsoft products including Visual Basic 6.0, Visual Studio .NET 2002 and 2003, Visual FoxPro 8.0 and 9.0, and Office Project 2003 and 2007. The vulnerability stems from improper input validation when parsing AVI file streams, specifically when handling crafted stream length parameters that trigger memory allocation errors. The affected ActiveX control is commonly used in Windows applications and web browsers, making it a prime target for exploitation by malicious actors seeking to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. This vulnerability operates at the core of Microsoft's COM component architecture and demonstrates the inherent risks associated with ActiveX controls that process multimedia content without adequate bounds checking.
The technical exploitation mechanism involves crafting a malicious AVI file with specifically manipulated stream length values that cause the mscomct2.ocx control to allocate insufficient memory for processing the video stream. When the control attempts to parse the malformed AVI file, the heap-based buffer overflow occurs during memory allocation operations, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged by attackers to overwrite critical memory locations. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121 Heap-based Buffer Overflow, which is classified as a critical weakness in software security. The overflow typically occurs when the application fails to properly validate the size of data being processed against available buffer space, allowing attackers to write beyond allocated memory boundaries and potentially overwrite return addresses or function pointers within the program's execution context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple code execution, as it represents a significant threat to enterprise security infrastructure and user systems. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability through web-based attacks, where malicious AVI files are embedded in HTML pages or delivered through email attachments, enabling remote code execution without user interaction in many scenarios. The vulnerability's exploitation requires minimal user interaction since the ActiveX control is automatically loaded when viewing web content that references the vulnerable component. This characteristic makes it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where users may inadvertently access compromised websites or receive malicious email attachments containing the crafted AVI files. The vulnerability affects systems running various Microsoft products from 2002 to 2008, representing a substantial attack surface across multiple software versions and deployment scenarios.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2008-4255 require a multi-layered approach combining immediate patching with defensive security measures. Microsoft released security updates addressing this vulnerability through Windows Update and Microsoft Update, with the patch specifically targeting the mscomct2.ocx control's parsing logic to implement proper bounds checking and memory allocation validation. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of these patches across all affected systems, particularly those running legacy versions of Visual Basic, Visual Studio, Visual FoxPro, and Office Project. Additionally, implementing security measures such as ActiveX control restrictions in Internet Explorer, disabling automatic loading of ActiveX controls, and deploying application whitelisting solutions can provide additional defense in depth. Security professionals should also consider network-based protections including web application firewalls and content filtering solutions that can detect and block malicious AVI files based on signature analysis and behavioral patterns associated with this specific vulnerability class. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, highlighting the need for comprehensive endpoint protection and user behavior monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts.