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Critical

Internet Explorer Memory Corruption Vulnerability

IdentifiersCVE-2015-0021CWE-119

CVE-2015-0021 is a memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 10. According to the provided content, the flaw can be triggered when a user visits a specially crafted web page in a vulnerable version of Internet Explorer. Microsoft classed this issue as an Internet Explorer memory corruption vulnerability and indicated that the security update addresses it by changing how Internet Explorer handles objects in memory. Successful exploitation may result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user, and the flaw may also be leveraged to cause a denial of service through memory corruption.

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ANALYST BRIEF

Impact, mitigation & remediation

What it means. What to do now. Patch path, mitigations, and the assume-compromise checklist.

Impact

What an attacker gets, and what they’ve been doing with it.

Successful exploitation can allow remote code execution with the privileges of the currently logged-in user. If that user has administrative rights, the attacker may be able to fully compromise the affected system. The vulnerability can also cause denial of service via memory corruption. Client systems are at higher risk, while affected Windows Server systems are somewhat mitigated by Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration.

Mitigation

If you can’t patch tonight, do this now.

The provided content states that Microsoft identified no specific mitigating factors or workarounds for the memory corruption vulnerabilities themselves. Practical exposure reduction includes limiting use of vulnerable Internet Explorer versions, operating users without administrative privileges, and relying on Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration on Windows Server systems where applicable, but patching is the primary corrective action.

Remediation

Patch, then assume compromise.

Apply Microsoft Security Update 3034682 and any associated prerequisite or companion updates required for the affected Internet Explorer version and platform. The provided content states that for Internet Explorer 9, 10, and 11, both update 3021952 and update 3034196 are required for full protection, with additional automatic installation of updates 3023607 and, on some platforms, 3036197. Microsoft noted that when installing manually, update 3021952 should be installed before 3034196 to avoid degraded page rendering.
PUBLIC EXPLOITS

Exploits

No public exploits tracked yet. Mallory keeps watching.

VALID 0 / 0 TOTALView more in app

No public exploit code observed for this vulnerability.

EXPOSURE SURFACE

Affected products & vendors

Products and vendors Mallory has correlated with this vulnerability. Open in Mallory to drill down to specific CPE configurations and version ranges.

VendorProductType
Microsoft CorporationInternet Explorerapplication

Vendor-confirmed product mapping. Mallory continuously reconciles this list against your asset inventory.

ACTIVITY FEED

Recent activity

2 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.

2 SOURCESView more in app
What this page doesn’t show

The version that knows your environment.

This page is what’s public. Mallory adds the parts that aren’t: which of your assets are affected, which adversaries are exploiting it right now, which detections to deploy, and what to do tonight.
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Exposure mapping

Query your assets running an affected version, and investigate the blast radius.

Threat actor evidence

Every observed campaign linking this CVE to a named adversary.

Associated malware

Malware families riding this exploit, with evidence and IOCs.

Detection signatures

YARA, Sigma, Snort, and vendor rules, auto-deployed to your SIEM.

Vendor-by-vendor mapping

Cross-references every affected SKU, including bundled OEM variants.

Social activity

Community discussion across Reddit, Mastodon, and other social sources.

EXTERNAL REFERENCES
MITRE CVE
cve.org · CVE-2015-0021
NVD
nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-0021
MITRE CWE · CWE-119
cwe.mitre.org
securityfocus.com
securityfocus.com/bid/72436
securitytracker.com
securitytracker.com/id/1031723
docs.microsoft.com
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2015/ms15-009