CVE-2011-0031 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
The (1) JScript 5.8 and (2) VBScript 5.8 scripting engines in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 do not properly load decoded scripts obtained from web pages, which allows remote attackers to trigger memory corruption and consequently obtain sensitive information via a crafted web site, aka "Scripting Engines Information Disclosure Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 01/26/2025
The vulnerability described in CVE-2011-0031 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within the scripting engines of Microsoft Windows operating systems. This issue affects both JScript 5.8 and VBScript 5.8 implementations found in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 systems. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of decoded scripts that are retrieved from web pages, creating a pathway for malicious actors to exploit memory management flaws in the scripting engine components. The flaw specifically manifests when these engines process web-based script content that has been decoded from encoded formats, leading to unpredictable memory corruption patterns that can be leveraged for information disclosure attacks.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully crafted web content that triggers the scripting engines to improperly handle decoded script data. When a user visits a malicious website containing specially constructed script content, the JScript or VBScript engine attempts to process this decoded data in a manner that leads to memory corruption. This memory corruption can result in the exposure of sensitive information stored in memory, including potentially confidential data, system credentials, or other valuable information. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of web scripting processing and memory management, creating an attack surface where malformed script content can cause the scripting engines to behave unpredictably and expose system resources.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments where users regularly browse the internet and interact with web-based applications. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can compromise systems without requiring local access or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in corporate networks where users may inadvertently encounter compromised web content. The information disclosure aspect of the vulnerability could lead to credential theft, system reconnaissance, and potential escalation to more severe attacks depending on what sensitive data becomes accessible through the memory corruption. Organizations running affected Windows versions face substantial risk of data breaches and unauthorized access to their systems.
Security mitigations for CVE-2011-0031 should focus on immediate patch deployment through Microsoft's security updates, as this vulnerability was addressed through official Microsoft security patches released in March 2011. Network administrators should implement web filtering solutions to block access to known malicious domains and content that might exploit this vulnerability. Browser security configurations should be hardened by disabling or restricting Active Scripting functionality where possible, particularly in high-risk environments. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125: "Out-of-bounds Read" and CWE-20: "Improper Input Validation" categories, indicating the need for robust input sanitization and bounds checking in scripting engine implementations. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007: "Scripting: Visual Basic" and T1068: "Exploitation for Privilege Escalation" techniques, as attackers can leverage the scripting engine flaws to execute malicious code and potentially escalate privileges within compromised systems. Organizations should also implement monitoring for suspicious script execution patterns and memory access anomalies that might indicate exploitation attempts.