CVE-2015-1740 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 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-2015-1735, CVE-2015-1744, CVE-2015-1745, and CVE-2015-1766.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/20/2022
This vulnerability affects Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 6 through 11 and represents a critical memory corruption flaw that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks. The vulnerability arises from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation during web page rendering processes, specifically when processing crafted web content that triggers buffer overflow conditions. Attackers can exploit this weakness by hosting malicious web pages that, when loaded in affected IE versions, cause the browser to corrupt memory structures and subsequently execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-in user. The flaw demonstrates characteristics consistent with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-125, out-of-bounds read, where insufficient bounds checking allows attackers to manipulate memory locations beyond allocated buffers. This vulnerability operates under the attack pattern category of CWE-119, which encompasses memory corruption vulnerabilities that enable attackers to execute code by manipulating memory addresses. The impact extends beyond simple code execution to include potential privilege escalation and system compromise, as the memory corruption can be leveraged to overwrite critical system structures or jump to attacker-controlled code locations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves IE's rendering engine failing to properly validate input data when processing specific web elements such as HTML tags, JavaScript code, or multimedia content. When a malicious web page is loaded, the browser's memory management system encounters malformed data structures that cause stack or heap corruption during parsing operations. This corruption can manifest as memory addresses being overwritten with attacker-controlled values, enabling the execution of malicious payloads through return-oriented programming techniques or direct code injection. The vulnerability's exploitation requires the victim to visit a malicious website, making it a typical web-based attack vector that aligns with ATT&CK technique T1203, Exploitation for Client Execution, and T1059, Command and Scripting Interpreter, as attackers can leverage the compromised browser to execute malicious scripts. The memory corruption occurs in the browser's memory management subsystem, specifically in components responsible for handling dynamic memory allocation and deallocation during page rendering, which corresponds to ATT&CK tactic T1068, Exploitation of Remote Services, when the vulnerability is exploited through web-based attacks.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability include immediate deployment of Microsoft security patches that address the memory corruption issues in IE's rendering engine and memory management components. Organizations should implement browser hardening measures such as disabling unnecessary browser features, implementing strict content security policies, and using sandboxing techniques to limit the impact of successful exploits. Network-level protections like web application firewalls and proxy servers can help filter malicious content before it reaches vulnerable browsers, though these measures are not foolproof against sophisticated attacks. The most effective defense involves maintaining up-to-date systems and implementing comprehensive patch management processes that ensure all affected IE versions are promptly updated. Security monitoring should focus on detecting unusual browser behavior, memory allocation patterns, and attempts to execute code in memory segments that should remain protected. Additionally, user education regarding safe browsing practices and awareness of phishing attempts that might deliver malicious web content remains crucial, as this vulnerability primarily exploits user interaction with malicious websites rather than purely automated attacks, making it susceptible to social engineering components that align with ATT&CK technique T1566, Phishing, and T1071, Application Layer Protocol, through the exploitation of web-based delivery mechanisms.