CVE-2020-1380 in Internet Explorer
Summary
by MITRE
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the scripting engine handles objects in memory in Internet Explorer. The vulnerability could corrupt memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could take control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website. An attacker could also embed an ActiveX control marked "safe for initialization" in an application or Microsoft Office document that hosts the IE rendering engine. The attacker could also take advantage of compromised websites and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements. These websites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit the vulnerability. The security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how the scripting engine handles objects in memory.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 10/29/2025
This remote code execution vulnerability in Internet Explorer represents a critical memory corruption flaw that enables attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the current user. The vulnerability specifically affects how the scripting engine manages objects in memory, creating conditions where memory corruption can occur during normal browser operations. This type of vulnerability falls under the CWE-121 category of stack-based buffer overflow, though the specific implementation involves heap corruption mechanisms that are particularly dangerous in browser environments. The flaw exists within the scripting engine's memory management system, where improper handling of object references and memory allocation can lead to exploitable conditions that allow attackers to inject and execute malicious code directly within the browser context.
The operational impact of this vulnerability is severe and multi-layered, as it provides attackers with the ability to escalate privileges from standard user accounts to administrative levels when targets are logged in with elevated rights. This privilege escalation capability makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where administrators frequently use Internet Explorer for daily operations. The attack vectors are diverse and include web-based exploitation through malicious websites, exploitation via compromised web properties, and leveraging malicious ActiveX controls embedded within Microsoft Office documents that utilize the IE rendering engine. These attack methods align with the ATT&CK framework's T1193 technique for Spearphishing Attachment and T1203 technique for Exploitation for Client Execution, demonstrating how attackers can leverage the browser's scripting capabilities to establish persistent access to target systems.
The security update addresses this vulnerability by modifying the memory handling mechanisms within the scripting engine to prevent the specific memory corruption patterns that enable exploitation. Microsoft's fix likely involves implementing additional bounds checking, memory validation routines, and proper object lifecycle management to prevent the conditions that lead to heap corruption. This remediation approach follows standard security practices for mitigating memory safety vulnerabilities and aligns with industry best practices for browser security hardening. Organizations should prioritize immediate deployment of this update across all affected Internet Explorer installations, particularly in environments where administrative privileges are commonly used for browsing activities. The vulnerability's potential for privilege escalation and system compromise makes it essential for security teams to implement additional monitoring for suspicious browser activity and ensure comprehensive patch management processes are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited in the future.