CVE-2015-1730 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 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 • 06/28/2025
Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 contains a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enables remote code execution when users visit malicious websites. This vulnerability resides in the browser's handling of memory operations during web page rendering, specifically affecting how the browser processes certain JavaScript objects and memory structures. The flaw manifests when Internet Explorer encounters crafted web content that triggers improper memory management, leading to potential arbitrary code execution or system crashes. The vulnerability is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a compromised website. Attackers can leverage this weakness to inject malicious code into the browser's memory space, potentially gaining full system control or causing denial of service conditions that render the browser unusable. The memory corruption occurs during the processing of specific JavaScript constructs that cause the browser to improperly manage allocated memory regions, creating opportunities for attackers to overwrite critical memory locations with malicious payloads. This vulnerability represents a classic buffer overflow scenario where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to manipulate memory pointers and execute arbitrary instructions within the browser process. The flaw affects Windows operating systems running Internet Explorer 9 and demonstrates the inherent risks of complex browser code handling memory operations for web content. Security researchers have classified this vulnerability as particularly severe due to its ease of exploitation and the broad impact across multiple Windows platforms. The memory corruption issue stems from improper validation of memory allocation and deallocation processes within Internet Explorer's JavaScript engine, creating opportunities for attackers to manipulate heap memory structures and execute malicious code. This vulnerability aligns with common weakness enumerations such as CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. The exploitation technique typically involves crafting web pages with specific JavaScript code that triggers the memory corruption during normal browser operation, making it difficult for users to detect malicious activity. Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately apply security patches from Microsoft, as the company released emergency updates to address this critical flaw. The vulnerability also maps to attack techniques in the mitre ATT&CK framework under the T1059 category for command and scripting interpreter, as attackers can use the memory corruption to execute arbitrary commands through the compromised browser. The impact extends beyond simple code execution to include potential privilege escalation scenarios where attackers can leverage the vulnerability to gain elevated system privileges. Browser vendors and security professionals have noted that this type of memory corruption vulnerability is particularly challenging to defend against because it operates at the core memory management level of the browser. The vulnerability demonstrates the importance of robust memory management practices in browser security and highlights the need for continuous security testing of complex web rendering engines. Organizations should implement additional security measures such as browser isolation, sandboxing, and network monitoring to detect and prevent exploitation attempts. The flaw also underscores the necessity of keeping browser software updated with the latest security patches, as many organizations failed to apply the necessary updates in a timely manner. This vulnerability serves as a critical reminder of the ongoing security challenges in modern web browsers and the importance of comprehensive security architectures that protect against memory-based attacks. The exploitation of this vulnerability requires minimal user interaction and can be automated, making it particularly dangerous in targeted attack scenarios. Security teams should prioritize patch management processes to ensure all Internet Explorer 9 installations are updated to prevent exploitation of this memory corruption flaw. The vulnerability's impact is further compounded by the fact that many organizations continue to use legacy browser versions, creating extended attack surfaces for threat actors.