CVE-2016-0063 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 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-2016-0060, CVE-2016-0061, CVE-2016-0067, and CVE-2016-0072.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 03/07/2025
This vulnerability represents a critical memory corruption flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 9 through 11 that enables remote code execution or denial of service attacks through malicious web content. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory operations within the browser's rendering engine, specifically affecting how Internet Explorer processes certain web elements and objects in memory. This particular flaw is distinct from several other related vulnerabilities including CVE-2016-0060, CVE-2016-0061, CVE-2016-0067, and CVE-2016-0072, each representing separate memory corruption pathways within the browser's architecture. The vulnerability operates at the core level of Internet Explorer's memory management system, where crafted web content can manipulate memory pointers and heap structures in ways that lead to unpredictable behavior and potential exploitation.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability involves exploiting memory corruption patterns that occur when Internet Explorer processes specific combinations of HTML elements, JavaScript code, and ActiveX controls. Attackers can construct malicious web pages that trigger buffer overflows, use-after-free conditions, or other memory manipulation techniques that allow them to overwrite critical memory locations. These memory corruption events can be leveraged to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-in user, effectively providing attackers with complete system compromise capabilities. The vulnerability's impact extends beyond simple code execution as it can also cause denial of service conditions that render the browser unstable or completely unresponsive, disrupting legitimate user activities and potentially leading to persistent system issues.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risk to enterprise environments where Internet Explorer remains in use, particularly in legacy systems that have not been migrated to modern browsers. The remote exploitation nature means that attackers can deliver malicious payloads through standard web browsing activities without requiring user interaction beyond visiting compromised websites. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous in corporate environments where users may inadvertently navigate to malicious sites through phishing campaigns or compromised web applications. The vulnerability's presence in multiple versions of Internet Explorer from 9 through 11 creates a broad attack surface that security teams must address across various organizational systems. Organizations running these older browser versions face heightened risk due to the extended support lifecycle and limited security updates available for these legacy products.
Security mitigations for this vulnerability primarily focus on immediate remediation through Microsoft's security patches and updates, which address the underlying memory corruption mechanisms. Organizations should implement comprehensive browser security policies that enforce the use of modern, supported browsers such as Microsoft Edge or Chrome, which have significantly improved memory safety mechanisms and regular security updates. Network-based protections including web application firewalls and content filtering systems can help detect and block malicious web content before it reaches user systems. Additionally, browser hardening techniques such as disabling unnecessary ActiveX controls, implementing strict content security policies, and employing sandboxing mechanisms provide additional layers of defense. According to CWE standards, this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to techniques involving exploitation of remote services and privilege escalation, with potential TTPs including initial access through web-based attacks and execution through memory corruption exploits. Organizations should also consider implementing monitoring solutions to detect anomalous memory usage patterns that might indicate exploitation attempts, as well as conducting regular vulnerability assessments to identify systems running unsupported Internet Explorer versions that remain exposed to this and similar threats.