CVE-2015-1738 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 and 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," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-2388.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/31/2022
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 and 9 suffered from a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks through specially crafted web content. This vulnerability specifically affected the browser's handling of memory structures during web page rendering processes, creating exploitable conditions that could be leveraged by malicious actors. The flaw existed in the browser's memory management mechanisms, particularly in how it processed certain objects and data structures during page parsing and execution. Attackers could craft web pages containing malicious JavaScript or HTML elements that would trigger the memory corruption when the browser attempted to render or execute the content. This vulnerability represented a significant security risk as it allowed adversaries to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems with the privileges of the user running the browser. The memory corruption occurred during the browser's interaction with specific memory regions, potentially leading to heap corruption or stack overflow conditions that could be exploited to gain control over the affected system. The vulnerability was distinct from other related issues such as CVE-2015-2388, indicating separate code paths and underlying causes within the browser's architecture. From a cybersecurity perspective, this vulnerability aligned with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations that could lead to memory corruption. The attack vector required the user to visit a malicious website, making it a typical client-side exploitation scenario. The operational impact was severe as it could result in complete system compromise, data theft, or service disruption. Organizations running these older browser versions faced significant risk due to the lack of modern security features and the limited support available for addressing such vulnerabilities. The vulnerability demonstrated the importance of keeping browser software up to date and implementing layered security controls including web filtering and user education. Microsoft addressed this issue through security updates that patched the memory handling routines and introduced additional validation checks to prevent the exploitation conditions. The incident highlighted the ongoing challenges of maintaining security in legacy browser environments and underscored the need for organizations to migrate away from unsupported software versions. This vulnerability also contributed to the broader understanding of browser security and the importance of memory safety in client-side applications. The ATT&CK framework would categorize this vulnerability under initial access and execution techniques, specifically targeting user execution through malicious web content. Organizations needed to implement comprehensive patch management processes and consider browser hardening measures to reduce exposure to similar threats. The vulnerability served as a reminder of the critical nature of browser security and the potential for remote code execution in widely used software applications. This flaw emphasized the importance of automated security monitoring and the need for regular security assessments of client-side applications. The memory corruption aspects of this vulnerability were particularly concerning as they could be leveraged for privilege escalation and persistent access to compromised systems. Security professionals needed to understand the underlying mechanisms that caused such vulnerabilities to better protect against similar future threats. The remediation process required careful testing and deployment to ensure that security updates did not break existing business applications while addressing the fundamental memory handling issues. This vulnerability also highlighted the importance of secure coding practices and the need for regular security code reviews to identify potential memory corruption scenarios in software development. The broader implications extended to web application security practices and the necessity of defending against sophisticated client-side attack vectors that could bypass traditional network security controls.