CVE-2016-0193 in Edge
Summary
by MITRE
The Chakra JavaScript engine in Microsoft Edge allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted web site, aka "Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0186 and CVE-2016-0191.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/18/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-0193 represents a critical memory corruption flaw within Microsoft Edge's Chakra JavaScript engine, which serves as the core execution environment for JavaScript code in the browser. This vulnerability specifically affects the scripting engine's handling of memory operations during JavaScript execution, creating a pathway for remote attackers to potentially gain arbitrary code execution privileges or induce denial of service conditions. The flaw manifests when users visit malicious websites that contain specially crafted JavaScript code designed to exploit the memory handling mechanisms within Chakra.
The technical nature of this vulnerability stems from improper memory management within the Chakra engine's JavaScript interpreter, where buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions can occur during the processing of malformed JavaScript constructs. Attackers can leverage this weakness by hosting malicious web content that triggers specific code paths within the engine, causing memory corruption that may result in code execution or system instability. The vulnerability operates at a low level within the browser's architecture, making it particularly dangerous as it can bypass traditional security measures and directly target the execution environment itself.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments where Microsoft Edge is deployed, as it enables attackers to remotely compromise user systems without requiring any local privileges or user interaction beyond visiting a malicious website. The attack surface extends across all Windows versions that include Microsoft Edge, making it a widespread concern for organizations. The memory corruption aspect means that successful exploitation could lead to complete system compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the Edge process, which typically runs with user-level permissions but could potentially be escalated through additional attack vectors.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Microsoft's security patches, implementing network-based protections such as web application firewalls, and configuring browser security policies to restrict JavaScript execution. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write conditions, both of which are common in memory corruption vulnerabilities. From an ATT&CK framework perspective, this vulnerability maps to T1059.007 for JavaScript execution and T1068 for local privilege escalation, though the initial compromise occurs through remote code execution. Network administrators should also consider implementing browser isolation techniques and monitoring for suspicious JavaScript activity patterns that may indicate exploitation attempts.