CVE-2015-6149 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-2015-6147.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/28/2022
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 and 9 suffered from a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution through malicious web content. This vulnerability arose from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation during web page rendering processes. The flaw manifested when Internet Explorer encountered specially crafted HTML elements or JavaScript code that triggered buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions in the browser's memory management systems. Attackers could exploit this weakness by hosting malicious web pages that, when loaded in vulnerable browsers, would cause the application to corrupt memory structures and subsequently execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-in user. The vulnerability represented a classic heap-based buffer overflow scenario where malicious input caused the browser to write beyond allocated memory boundaries, leading to unpredictable behavior and potential code execution.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploited the browser's object model and memory management subsystems. When Internet Explorer processed certain web content, it would allocate memory for objects and subsequently free that memory without proper validation of references. Malicious code could manipulate this process to overwrite memory locations with attacker-controlled data, effectively allowing code injection attacks. The flaw was particularly dangerous because it could be triggered through standard web browsing activities without requiring any special privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. This type of vulnerability maps directly to CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-125, out-of-bounds read, which are common targets for attackers seeking to compromise web browsers. The vulnerability's impact extended beyond simple code execution to include potential privilege escalation and system compromise.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-6149 was severe given the widespread deployment of Internet Explorer 8 and 9 in enterprise environments and among end users. Organizations running these browser versions faced significant risk of compromise from phishing attacks, drive-by downloads, and malicious advertising campaigns. The vulnerability could be exploited through various attack vectors including email attachments, compromised websites, and social engineering tactics that directed users to malicious content. Security researchers noted that the exploit could be reliably automated, making it particularly dangerous for mass deployment attacks. The memory corruption nature of the flaw meant that successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, allowing attackers to install malware, steal credentials, or establish persistent backdoors. This vulnerability demonstrated the critical importance of browser security and the need for regular patch management.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2015-6149 required immediate action from organizations and users to protect against exploitation attempts. The primary recommended solution was to apply Microsoft's security patches released as part of the June 2015 security updates, which included memory protection mechanisms and improved input validation. Organizations should have implemented browser hardening measures such as disabling unnecessary browser features, enabling protected view modes, and restricting access to potentially malicious websites through network-level controls. Security teams needed to deploy intrusion detection systems capable of identifying exploitation attempts and monitor for unusual network traffic patterns associated with known exploit signatures. The vulnerability highlighted the importance of maintaining up-to-date security patches and implementing defense-in-depth strategies. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability mapped to techniques involving exploit for code execution and privilege escalation, emphasizing the need for layered security approaches including network segmentation, application whitelisting, and user behavior analytics to detect and prevent exploitation attempts.