CVE-2015-0029 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and 8 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."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/09/2022
Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 6 and 8 contain a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions through malicious web content. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation during web page rendering processes, creating exploitable conditions that can be leveraged by attackers to gain unauthorized system access. The flaw exists in the browser's memory management subsystem where insufficient bounds checking and memory validation occurs when processing specially crafted web elements.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves heap-based memory corruption that occurs when Internet Explorer attempts to process malformed or maliciously constructed web content. Attackers can construct web pages containing crafted JavaScript or ActiveX controls that trigger buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions within the browser's memory management routines. These conditions allow malicious code to overwrite critical memory locations, potentially enabling code execution at the privileges of the affected user. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special user interaction beyond visiting a compromised website.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-0029 extends beyond simple exploitation scenarios to encompass significant security risks for enterprise environments and individual users. Organizations running legacy Internet Explorer 6 and 8 systems face elevated risk of compromise through drive-by download attacks, where simply visiting a malicious website can result in system takeover. The vulnerability's exploitation capability makes it a prime target for advanced persistent threat actors and malware distributors who leverage such flaws to establish persistent access to compromised systems. Network security teams must also contend with the difficulty of detecting exploitation attempts, as memory corruption attacks often appear as normal system behavior until malicious payloads are executed.
This vulnerability aligns with CWE-122 Heap-based Buffer Overflow and CWE-476 NULL Pointer Dereference categories, representing fundamental memory safety issues in software design. From an adversary perspective, the vulnerability maps to multiple ATT&CK techniques including T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution and T1059 Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can leverage the memory corruption to execute arbitrary commands on compromised systems. The attack surface is broad given that Internet Explorer 6 and 8 were widely deployed across enterprise environments, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in corporate networks where legacy systems remain operational. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including browser updates, security patches, and network segmentation to protect against exploitation attempts. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date software systems and implementing robust patch management processes to prevent exploitation of known vulnerabilities.