CVE-2014-4062 in .NET Framework
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1 SP1, 2.0 SP2, 3.0 SP2, 3.5, and 3.5.1 does not properly implement the ASLR protection mechanism, which allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive address information via a crafted web site, aka ".NET ASLR Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/16/2024
The CVE-2014-4062 vulnerability represents a critical flaw in Microsoft .NET Framework implementations that undermines the operating system's address space layout randomization protection mechanism. This vulnerability affects versions 1.1 SP1, 2.0 SP2, 3.0 SP2, 3.5, and 3.5.1 of the framework, making it a widespread issue across multiple generations of Microsoft's managed code execution environment. The flaw specifically targets the ASLR implementation within the .NET runtime, which is designed to prevent attackers from predicting memory addresses where critical application components are loaded. This weakness creates a significant attack surface that can be exploited to bypass security protections that rely on address randomization for memory safety.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully crafted web sites that can cause the .NET Framework to leak memory address information to remote attackers. When a user visits such a malicious website, the framework's improper ASLR implementation allows attackers to discover the base addresses of loaded modules, which are typically randomized to prevent exploitation of memory corruption vulnerabilities. This information leakage effectively nullifies the security benefits that ASLR provides, enabling attackers to perform more sophisticated attacks such as return-oriented programming attacks or other exploit techniques that depend on knowing memory layout details. The vulnerability specifically affects how the .NET Framework handles memory allocation and module loading processes, creating predictable address patterns that would normally be randomized.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability significantly increases the risk of successful exploitation of other security flaws in the .NET Framework environment. Attackers who can obtain address information through this vulnerability gain a substantial advantage when attempting to exploit memory corruption issues such as buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions. The vulnerability creates a pathway for attackers to bypass multiple security mitigations simultaneously, as it undermines both ASLR protection and potentially other exploit prevention mechanisms. Organizations running applications that depend on these .NET Framework versions face elevated risk of compromise, particularly in environments where web applications are accessed by untrusted users, as the attack vector is purely web-based and requires no local privileges to execute.
The vulnerability maps to CWE-1169 which specifically addresses improper implementation of address space layout randomization, and aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for execution through web applications. Microsoft addressed this issue through security updates that properly implemented ASLR protections within the .NET Framework runtime, requiring organizations to apply these patches to restore the intended security protections. Organizations should prioritize patch management for affected .NET Framework versions and consider implementing additional network-level protections such as web application firewalls to mitigate the risk of exploitation. The vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper security implementation in core platform components, as flaws in fundamental security mechanisms can have cascading effects on the overall security posture of systems relying on those components.