CVE-2016-0150 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE
HTTP.sys in Microsoft Windows 10 Gold and 1511 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (system hang) via crafted HTTP 2.0 requests, aka "HTTP.sys Denial of Service Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 11/03/2024
The HTTP.sys vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0150 represents a critical denial of service flaw within Microsoft Windows operating systems, specifically affecting Windows 10 Gold and version 1511 releases. This vulnerability resides in the HTTP.sys kernel-mode driver which serves as the foundation for HTTP protocol handling in Windows environments. The flaw manifests when the system processes specially crafted HTTP 2.0 requests that exploit a buffer overflow condition in the kernel-level HTTP stack, leading to system instability and complete service disruption. The vulnerability operates at the core networking layer of Windows, making it particularly dangerous as it can be triggered through standard web traffic without requiring authentication or elevated privileges. This makes the attack surface extremely broad, as any system running affected Windows versions and processing HTTP requests becomes potentially vulnerable to exploitation.
The technical mechanism behind this vulnerability involves improper validation of HTTP 2.0 request headers and frame processing within the HTTP.sys driver. When the driver encounters malformed or maliciously constructed HTTP 2.0 frames, it fails to properly handle the buffer boundaries, causing memory corruption that results in system hangs or crashes. The flaw specifically impacts the way the kernel-mode driver processes incoming HTTP requests, particularly those containing oversized or malformed headers that exceed expected buffer limits. This type of vulnerability falls under CWE-121, which describes stack-based buffer overflow conditions, and more specifically aligns with CWE-122, heap-based buffer overflow conditions that can occur in kernel-mode drivers. The vulnerability is particularly insidious because it operates at the kernel level where the system's core networking functions reside, making it impossible to simply restart affected services to resolve the issue.
The operational impact of CVE-2016-0150 extends far beyond simple service interruption, as it can effectively render entire systems unusable for extended periods. Organizations relying on Windows servers for web hosting, application delivery, or internal networking services face significant business disruption when this vulnerability is exploited. The denial of service condition can persist until system reboot occurs, potentially lasting hours or days depending on the scale of the attack. Attackers can leverage this vulnerability to target web servers, application servers, or even internal network infrastructure, making it particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where continuous availability is critical. The vulnerability's exploitation can occur through various attack vectors including direct HTTP 2.0 request injection, web application attacks that trigger HTTP 2.0 processing, or even through compromised web applications that forward requests to vulnerable systems. According to ATT&CK framework, this vulnerability maps to T1499.004, which covers network denial of service attacks, and T1071.005, covering web protocols for command and control communications.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2016-0150 require immediate implementation of Microsoft security patches and updates, as the primary fix involves applying the relevant Windows updates that address the HTTP.sys buffer handling flaws. Organizations should prioritize patching all affected Windows 10 systems, particularly those running version 1511 or earlier releases, as these versions contain the vulnerable HTTP.sys driver implementation. Network administrators should also implement temporary workarounds such as disabling HTTP 2.0 support in web servers or implementing network-level filtering to block suspicious HTTP 2.0 requests. Additionally, organizations should deploy intrusion detection systems that can identify and alert on suspicious HTTP 2.0 traffic patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing robust network monitoring to detect potential exploitation attempts. Organizations should also consider implementing application-level firewalls and web application firewalls to provide additional protection layers against malicious HTTP 2.0 requests that could exploit this vulnerability. Regular security assessments and vulnerability scanning should be conducted to identify any remaining systems that may be affected by this or similar kernel-level vulnerabilities.