CVE-2015-1704 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 11 allows remote attackers to gain privileges via a crafted web site, aka "Internet Explorer Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-1703.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/17/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1704 represents a critical elevation of privilege flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 6 through 11, classified under the Common Weakness Enumeration CWE-264 as a privilege escalation vulnerability. This issue enables remote attackers to execute malicious code with elevated system privileges, potentially compromising the entire operating system. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of certain object types within the browser's memory management system, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate memory structures and execute arbitrary code at higher privilege levels than intended.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through carefully crafted web content that leverages memory corruption flaws within Internet Explorer's rendering engine. Attackers can construct malicious web pages that trigger specific memory access patterns, leading to buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions in the browser's JavaScript engine or ActiveX component handling. These memory corruption issues allow attackers to manipulate the execution flow of the browser process and potentially escalate privileges to SYSTEM level access, bypassing standard security boundaries that typically protect user sessions from direct system-level access.
From an operational impact perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments where Internet Explorer remains in use, particularly in legacy systems that have not been migrated to modern browsers. The remote nature of the attack vector means that users can be compromised simply by visiting malicious websites, making this vulnerability particularly dangerous in targeted phishing campaigns or drive-by download scenarios. Organizations with older systems running IE6 through IE11 face substantial risk of complete system compromise, as successful exploitation can lead to persistent backdoor access, data exfiltration, and lateral movement within network environments.
The attack surface for this vulnerability extends beyond individual user machines to encompass entire corporate networks, especially in environments where Internet Explorer is still mandated for legacy application compatibility. Security professionals should consider this vulnerability in the context of the MITRE ATT&CK framework, specifically under techniques related to privilege escalation and exploitation of software vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrates how legacy browser support can create persistent security risks, as organizations may continue using outdated software versions that contain known exploits, creating extended attack windows for threat actors. Effective mitigation requires immediate patching of affected systems, implementation of browser hardening measures, and consideration of alternative browser solutions for legacy application support.
Organizations should implement layered security controls including browser isolation techniques, network segmentation, and regular security assessments to identify systems running vulnerable Internet Explorer versions. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and the dangers of supporting deprecated software components, as these legacy systems often contain unpatched vulnerabilities that can be exploited for complete system compromise.