CVE-2014-1805 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-2014-1786, CVE-2014-1795, 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 • 08/31/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 9 through 11, classified under the Common Weakness Enumeration category CWE-125 as an out-of-bounds read condition that can lead to arbitrary code execution. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of memory operations within the browser's rendering engine, specifically when processing crafted web content that triggers buffer overflow or heap corruption conditions. Attackers can exploit this weakness by hosting malicious web pages that, when loaded in affected IE versions, cause the browser to allocate or access memory in unintended ways, ultimately leading to memory corruption that can be leveraged for privilege escalation or system compromise. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with the ATT&CK technique T1203 - Exploitation for Client Execution, where adversaries manipulate application vulnerabilities to execute malicious code within the context of the target application. The vulnerability is particularly concerning because it affects multiple versions of Internet Explorer simultaneously, creating a broad attack surface that spans from IE9 through IE11, with each version potentially exhibiting similar memory management flaws in their JavaScript engines and rendering components. This particular vulnerability differs from other contemporaneous IE flaws such as CVE-2014-1773 and CVE-2014-1783, indicating that Microsoft was dealing with multiple distinct memory corruption issues within the same product family. The memory corruption can manifest in various forms including heap spraying techniques, use-after-free conditions, or improper pointer arithmetic that causes the browser to execute attacker-controlled code with the privileges of the logged-in user. The exploitation process typically involves crafting malicious HTML content or JavaScript that triggers the vulnerable code path within the browser's memory management system, often leveraging techniques such as cross-site scripting or social engineering to deliver the payload to unsuspecting users. Organizations running these affected browser versions face significant risk as the vulnerability can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring any additional privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The impact extends beyond simple code execution to include potential denial of service scenarios where the memory corruption causes browser crashes or system instability, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where browser stability and security are paramount. The vulnerability's exploitation requires careful crafting of malicious content that can bypass modern security mitigations such as data execution prevention and address space layout randomization, highlighting the sophistication required to effectively leverage such flaws in real-world attacks. Microsoft's patching cycle for this vulnerability would have involved addressing the underlying memory management issues in the browser's JavaScript engine and rendering components, with security updates typically implementing additional bounds checking and memory allocation safeguards to prevent the exploitation conditions that lead to memory corruption. The broader implications for cybersecurity professionals include the need for comprehensive browser security assessments and the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser versions to protect against such memory corruption vulnerabilities that can serve as initial compromise vectors in advanced persistent threat campaigns. This vulnerability underscores the critical importance of browser security and the need for continuous monitoring and patch management processes to prevent exploitation of memory corruption flaws that can lead to complete system compromise. Organizations should implement multiple layers of defense including web application firewalls, browser hardening configurations, and user education programs to reduce the attack surface and mitigate the risk associated with such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability also demonstrates the complexity of modern browser security architectures where memory corruption issues can arise from interactions between multiple components including JavaScript engines, rendering engines, and memory management systems, requiring coordinated security efforts across different software layers to provide comprehensive protection.