CVE-2014-1786 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11 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," a different vulnerability than CVE-2014-1773, CVE-2014-1783, CVE-2014-1784, CVE-2014-1795, CVE-2014-1805, CVE-2014-2758, CVE-2014-2759, CVE-2014-2765, CVE-2014-2766, and CVE-2014-2775.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/01/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2014-1786 represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 9 through 11. This vulnerability resides within the browser's rendering engine and specifically targets the way Internet Explorer handles memory allocation and deallocation during web page processing. The flaw enables remote attackers to craft malicious web content that can trigger unpredictable memory behavior when the browser attempts to render such content, creating opportunities for exploitation that extend beyond simple denial of service conditions.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within Internet Explorer's JavaScript engine and HTML parser components. When processing specially crafted web pages containing malformed or maliciously constructed elements, the browser's memory handling mechanisms fail to properly validate input data, leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged by attackers to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This type of vulnerability typically falls under CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations, both of which are common vectors for memory corruption exploits.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations relying on older Internet Explorer versions, as it allows attackers to achieve remote code execution without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The attack surface is particularly broad since Internet Explorer was widely used across enterprise environments, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous for organizations with legacy systems. The memory corruption can manifest in various ways including heap corruption, stack corruption, or pointer dereference issues that can be exploited to gain full system control or cause system instability through denial of service conditions.
Security professionals should note that this vulnerability operates at the intersection of multiple attack techniques documented in the MITRE ATT&CK framework, particularly under the T1059.007 technique for Windows Command Shell and T1078.004 for Valid Accounts. The exploitation typically involves crafting web content that triggers specific memory patterns leading to code execution, often requiring the attacker to leverage additional techniques such as T1550.001 for use of valid accounts or T1068 for exploit development. Organizations should prioritize immediate remediation through Microsoft security updates and consider implementing browser isolation techniques or network segmentation to limit potential impact.
Mitigation strategies should include immediate deployment of Microsoft security patches, implementation of browser hardening measures, and deployment of web application firewalls to detect and block malicious content. Organizations should also consider transitioning away from unsupported Internet Explorer versions and implementing automated patch management processes to ensure timely vulnerability remediation. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser security and demonstrates how memory corruption flaws in widely used applications can create significant enterprise security risks requiring comprehensive remediation approaches.