CVE-2014-4087 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 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-2014-4095, CVE-2014-4096, and CVE-2014-4101.
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 02/15/2022
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks through malicious web content. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of memory operations within the browser's rendering engine, specifically affecting how IE processes certain web elements that trigger memory allocation and deallocation sequences. Attackers can craft specially designed web pages that exploit this memory corruption to execute arbitrary code on targeted systems or cause the browser to crash, resulting in denial of service conditions. The flaw is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves memory management errors that occur during the processing of web content, particularly when handling specific combinations of HTML elements, JavaScript code, or ActiveX controls. The memory corruption typically manifests as heap-based buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions that allow attackers to overwrite critical memory locations or manipulate program execution flow. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-122 category for heap-based buffer overflow, which represents a common attack vector where malicious input causes programs to write beyond allocated memory boundaries. The vulnerability's exploitation requires careful crafting of web content that can trigger the specific memory corruption scenario within IE's JavaScript engine or rendering components.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to organizations relying on Internet Explorer 11 as their primary browser, particularly in enterprise environments where users may encounter malicious websites through phishing campaigns, compromised web services, or malicious advertisements. The attack surface is broad as any web page could potentially host the malicious content, making it difficult for users to identify and avoid compromised sites. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond individual user sessions to potentially compromise entire corporate networks, especially when combined with other attack vectors or when exploited in conjunction with privilege escalation techniques. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1203 (Exploitation for Client Execution) and T1059 (Command and Scripting Interpreter) techniques, as attackers can leverage the memory corruption to execute malicious code and establish persistent access.
The recommended mitigation strategies include immediate deployment of Microsoft security patches and updates, which address the underlying memory corruption issues through improved input validation and memory management routines. Organizations should implement browser hardening measures such as disabling unnecessary ActiveX controls, restricting JavaScript execution in sensitive contexts, and deploying web application firewalls to filter malicious content. Network-level protections can include implementing content filtering solutions that block access to known malicious domains and monitoring for suspicious web traffic patterns. Additionally, users should be educated about the risks of visiting untrusted websites and the importance of keeping their browsers updated. System administrators should consider implementing security policies that enforce automatic updates for Internet Explorer and monitor for exploitation attempts through security information and event management systems. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against sophisticated browser-based attacks that can bypass traditional security controls.