CVE-2015-6070 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 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-2015-6066, CVE-2015-6071, CVE-2015-6074, CVE-2015-6076, and CVE-2015-6087.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/26/2022
This vulnerability affects Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 7 through 11 and represents a critical memory corruption flaw that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory operations when processing specially crafted web content, creating conditions where malicious actors can manipulate memory structures to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. The flaw specifically manifests when Internet Explorer processes certain web page elements that trigger memory management errors during rendering operations.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves memory corruption patterns that allow attackers to overwrite critical memory locations or manipulate heap structures. When a user visits a malicious website, the browser's rendering engine encounters malformed or specially constructed HTML elements that cause memory allocation and deallocation routines to behave unexpectedly. This memory corruption can lead to stack overflows, heap corruption, or other memory management failures that provide attackers with opportunities to inject and execute malicious code. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of browser rendering engines and memory management systems, making it particularly dangerous as it can be exploited through standard web browsing activities.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability presents significant risk to organizations as it enables remote code execution without requiring user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The attack surface is extensive given the widespread deployment of Internet Explorer across enterprise environments, potentially allowing attackers to establish persistent access, escalate privileges, or deploy additional malware. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue aligns with common attack patterns described in the attack mitigation framework, where memory-based exploits are among the most prevalent and dangerous classes of vulnerabilities. Organizations with legacy systems running older Internet Explorer versions face particularly high risk as these systems may not receive security updates or patches.
The mitigation strategies for this vulnerability primarily involve applying Microsoft security updates and patches that address the specific memory corruption patterns. System administrators should prioritize updating Internet Explorer to supported versions or implementing browser isolation techniques to prevent exploitation. Additional protective measures include deploying enhanced browser security features such as address space layout randomization, data execution prevention, and sandboxing technologies. Organizations should also implement network-based protections including web application firewalls and content filtering systems that can detect and block malicious web content before it reaches vulnerable browsers. The vulnerability's characteristics align with common attack patterns documented in the attack mitigation framework, where memory corruption vulnerabilities are typically addressed through patch management, system hardening, and runtime protection mechanisms. Security monitoring should focus on detecting anomalous browser behavior and memory access patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts.