CVE-2015-2529 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
The kernel in Microsoft Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 10 allows local users to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism via a crafted application, aka "Kernel ASLR Bypass Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/14/2022
The CVE-2015-2529 vulnerability represents a critical security flaw in Microsoft Windows kernel implementations that fundamentally undermines address space layout randomization protections. This vulnerability affects multiple Windows versions including Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 10, creating a widespread impact across enterprise and consumer environments. The flaw specifically targets the kernel's memory management subsystem where ASLR mechanisms are designed to randomize memory addresses to prevent exploitation techniques that rely on predictable memory layouts.
The technical exploitation of this vulnerability occurs through a crafted application that can manipulate kernel memory structures to predict or determine the memory layout of kernel components. This bypass mechanism operates at the kernel level, allowing attackers to circumvent the ASLR protection that normally randomizes the memory addresses of kernel modules, system libraries, and other critical components. The vulnerability stems from insufficient entropy in the kernel's memory address randomization process, particularly when handling certain memory allocation and deallocation operations. Attackers can leverage this weakness to perform return-oriented programming attacks, heap spraying techniques, or other exploitation methods that require knowledge of specific memory addresses.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability creates significant risks for organizations as it enables local attackers to escalate privileges and potentially gain complete system control. The bypass of ASLR protection means that attackers can effectively neutralize one of the primary defenses against kernel-level exploits, making subsequent attacks more reliable and successful. The impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as the vulnerability can be chained with other exploits to create more sophisticated attack vectors. Security professionals must consider this vulnerability as a critical component in their threat modeling exercises, particularly in environments where local user access is possible or where attackers might attempt to establish persistent access through local privilege escalation.
The vulnerability aligns with CWE-122 which describes improper restriction of operations within a limited environment, specifically in how kernel memory management operations are handled. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to privilege escalation techniques and specifically relates to T1068 which covers "Local Privilege Escalation" and T1059 which covers "Command and Scripting Interpreter" as attackers can leverage the bypass to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Microsoft security updates, monitoring for suspicious local application behavior, and implementing additional runtime protections such as Control Flow Guard and other exploit mitigation techniques. The vulnerability also highlights the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and demonstrates how even fundamental security mechanisms like ASLR can be undermined by subtle implementation flaws in kernel code.