CVE-2013-3202 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted web site, aka "Internet Explorer Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2021
Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions through maliciously crafted web content. This vulnerability represents a classic heap-based buffer overflow scenario where improper input validation allows attackers to manipulate memory structures and potentially gain unauthorized system access. The flaw exists within the browser's handling of specific web page elements that trigger memory allocation and deallocation processes. When a user visits a compromised website, the malicious code can exploit the memory corruption to overwrite critical memory locations, leading to unpredictable behavior including application crashes or complete system compromise. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it operates at the memory level, allowing attackers to execute malicious payloads directly within the browser's memory space without requiring additional privileges or user interaction beyond visiting the malicious site. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, though it manifests as memory corruption in heap allocation contexts. The attack vector is highly relevant to the ATT&CK framework's initial access and execution phases, specifically targeting the web-based attack surface through browser exploitation techniques. The vulnerability affects Internet Explorer 10 on Windows operating systems, making it a significant concern for enterprise environments where legacy browser support remains necessary. The memory corruption occurs during the processing of malformed web content, particularly involving complex object manipulation and dynamic memory allocation. Attackers can leverage this flaw by crafting web pages that trigger specific memory operations within IE10's rendering engine, causing the browser to allocate memory in ways that lead to corruption. The impact extends beyond simple code execution to include potential privilege escalation scenarios where attackers might leverage the memory corruption to gain elevated system privileges. Organizations running IE10 are particularly vulnerable since this represents a widespread browser deployment that lacks modern security mitigations present in newer browser versions. The exploitation process typically involves creating web content that forces IE10 to perform memory operations that exceed allocated boundaries, resulting in memory corruption that can be leveraged for remote code execution. This vulnerability demonstrates the inherent risks of complex browser architectures where memory management and object handling can create exploitable conditions. The flaw represents a fundamental security issue in IE10's memory handling capabilities and highlights the importance of proper bounds checking and memory allocation practices in web browser implementations. Security researchers have documented similar patterns in other browser implementations, confirming this as a common class of vulnerability in complex memory-managed applications. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with industry standards for identifying critical security flaws that can be exploited remotely without user interaction, making it a high-priority remediation target for organizations maintaining IE10 deployments. Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch deployment, browser isolation techniques, and network-level protections to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability. The remediation process involves updating to patched versions of Internet Explorer or migrating to more secure browser alternatives that have addressed similar memory handling issues. Organizations should implement comprehensive security monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts and establish incident response procedures specifically addressing browser-based memory corruption vulnerabilities. The vulnerability underscores the critical importance of maintaining up-to-date browser security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against remotely exploitable flaws in widely deployed software applications.