CVE-2016-3331 in Edge
Summary
by MITRE
Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted web site, aka "Microsoft Browser Memory Corruption Vulnerability."
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 09/23/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2016-3331 represents a critical memory corruption flaw affecting Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge browsers. This vulnerability stems from improper handling of memory allocation and deallocation processes within the browser's rendering engine, creating opportunities for remote code execution or denial of service attacks. The flaw manifests when these browsers encounter maliciously crafted web content that exploits memory management inconsistencies in the browser's JavaScript engine and HTML parser components.
The technical nature of this vulnerability aligns with CWE-125, which describes out-of-bounds read conditions, and CWE-787, which covers out-of-bounds write operations. Attackers can leverage this weakness by hosting malicious web pages that trigger specific memory corruption scenarios when the browser processes certain HTML elements or JavaScript code. The vulnerability operates at the intersection of browser rendering and memory management, where improper bounds checking allows attackers to manipulate memory addresses and potentially execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the browser process. This memory corruption typically occurs during the parsing of malformed web content or when processing certain DOM operations that lead to heap-based buffer overflows.
From an operational perspective, this vulnerability poses significant risks to enterprise environments where users frequently browse the internet and may encounter malicious websites. The remote exploitation capability means that attackers can compromise systems simply by convincing users to visit compromised websites, making it particularly dangerous in phishing campaigns or drive-by download scenarios. The vulnerability affects both Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge, representing a broad attack surface since these browsers were widely deployed across enterprise networks and consumer devices. Successful exploitation could result in complete system compromise, data exfiltration, or persistent backdoor installation, with the attacker gaining the ability to execute code at the user's privilege level.
Organizations should prioritize immediate patching of affected systems through Microsoft's security updates, as this vulnerability was actively exploited in the wild during 2016. The recommended mitigations include implementing browser isolation techniques, deploying web application firewalls, and enforcing strict internet access controls to limit exposure to malicious websites. Security teams should also consider implementing user awareness training to reduce the risk of social engineering attacks that leverage this vulnerability. The ATT&CK framework categorizes this vulnerability under T1203, which covers exploitation for privilege escalation, and T1059, which covers command and scripting interpreter usage. Organizations should monitor network traffic for indicators of compromise related to known malicious domains and implement endpoint detection and response solutions to identify potential exploitation attempts before they succeed.