CVE-2014-2756 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 and 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-2014-1772, CVE-2014-1780, CVE-2014-1794, CVE-2014-1797, CVE-2014-1802, CVE-2014-2763, CVE-2014-2764, CVE-2014-2769, and CVE-2014-2771.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/27/2025
Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 and 11 contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution through malicious web content. This vulnerability specifically affected the browser's handling of memory structures during web page rendering, creating a pathway for attackers to inject and execute arbitrary code on victim systems. The flaw manifested when Internet Explorer processed specially crafted web pages that triggered improper memory management operations, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential system compromise.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions where programs access memory locations outside their intended bounds. Attackers could exploit this by constructing web pages with malformed data structures that would cause the browser's memory allocator to behave erratically, potentially leading to heap corruption or stack overflow conditions. The vulnerability was particularly dangerous because it occurred during normal browsing operations, making it difficult for users to detect malicious intent until after exploitation had occurred.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability represented a significant threat to enterprise environments where Internet Explorer remained the primary browser for legacy applications. The remote execution capability meant that attackers could compromise systems simply by having users visit malicious websites, without requiring any additional user interaction or privilege escalation. The denial of service aspect of the vulnerability could also be leveraged to disrupt business operations by causing browser crashes or system instability, creating both immediate security risks and potential availability issues.
The impact of CVE-2014-2756 extended beyond individual user compromise to affect entire organizational infrastructures, particularly in environments where IE10 and IE11 were still in use for corporate applications. Security professionals needed to implement immediate mitigations including browser updates, network-based protections, and user education to prevent exploitation. Organizations should have prioritized patch management and considered alternative browser solutions to reduce their attack surface. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining current browser security patches and implementing multi-layered security approaches to protect against zero-day exploits.
This vulnerability was categorized under the broader ATT&CK framework as a technique for privilege escalation through exploitation of software vulnerabilities. The attack chain typically involved initial compromise through web-based delivery, followed by execution of malicious payloads within the browser environment. Security teams needed to monitor network traffic for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability, particularly unusual patterns in browser memory usage or network connections to known malicious domains. The remediation process required coordinated patch deployment across all affected systems, along with incident response procedures to handle potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should have also implemented web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to block access to malicious sites while patches were being deployed.