CVE-2015-6069 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 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-2015-6081.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/26/2022
Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 8 through 11 contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks through maliciously crafted web content. This vulnerability specifically affected the browser's handling of memory management during web page rendering processes, creating exploitable conditions that adversaries could leverage to execute arbitrary code on victim systems. The flaw manifested when Internet Explorer encountered specially crafted HTML elements or JavaScript code that triggered improper memory allocation or deallocation behaviors, leading to memory corruption that could be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized system access.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions that can result in memory corruption and arbitrary code execution. The flaw occurred within the browser's JavaScript engine and rendering components, particularly affecting how the browser managed memory when processing complex web content. Attackers could construct web pages containing malformed data structures or exploit specific JavaScript operations that would cause the browser to write beyond allocated memory boundaries or access invalid memory locations. This type of vulnerability falls under the ATT&CK framework's technique T1059.007 for Command and Scripting Interpreter and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution, as it enables attackers to execute malicious code through compromised web browsers.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-6069 was significant given the widespread adoption of Internet Explorer across enterprise environments and user systems. Organizations running older versions of Windows with IE8 through IE11 were particularly vulnerable, as these browsers had not yet received security updates to address the memory corruption issue. The vulnerability could be exploited through various attack vectors including malicious websites, phishing campaigns, or compromised web applications that delivered exploit code directly to users' browsers. Successful exploitation typically resulted in complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute commands with the privileges of the logged-in user, potentially leading to data theft, system infiltration, or further lateral movement within network environments.
Mitigation strategies for this vulnerability required immediate patching of affected Internet Explorer versions or deployment of security updates provided by Microsoft. Organizations should have implemented browser isolation techniques and restricted access to untrusted web content through network security controls. The recommended approach involved upgrading to supported browser versions or applying the specific security patches released by Microsoft to address the memory corruption issue. Additionally, security administrators should have deployed web application firewalls and content filtering solutions to block access to known malicious websites. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date browser security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies to protect against zero-day exploits targeting widely used software components.