Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-001 - Critical

• 10/11/2017
• 14 minutes to read
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Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (3124903)

Published: January 12, 2016 | Updated: February 19, 2016

Version: 1.1

Executive Summary

This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The more severe of the vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a specially crafted webpage using Internet Explorer. An attacker who successfully exploited this 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 this 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.

This security update is rated Critical for Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7), Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8), Internet Explorer 9 (IE 9), Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10), and Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11) on affected Windows clients, and Moderate for Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7), Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8), Internet Explorer 9 (IE 9), Internet Explorer 10 (IE 10), and Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11) on affected Windows servers. For more information, see the Affected Software section.

The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by:

• Modifying how VBScript handles objects in memory
• Helping to ensure that cross-domain policies are properly enforced in Internet Explorer

For more information about the vulnerabilities, see the Vulnerability Information section.

For more information about this update, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 3124903.

Affected Software

The following software versions or editions are affected. Versions or editions that are not listed are either past their support life cycle or are not affected. To determine the support life cycle for your software version or edition, see Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

Affected Software 

^[2] This update is available via Windows Update.

^[3] Windows 10 updates are cumulative. In addition to containing non-security updates, they also contain all of the security fixes for all of the Windows 10-affected vulnerabilities shipping with the monthly security release. The updates are available via the Microsoft Update Catalog.

^[4]Customers running Windows 10 or Windows 10 Version 1511 who have Citrix XenDesktop installed will not be offered the update. Because of a Citrix issue with the XenDesktop software, users who install the update will be prevented from logging on. To stay protected, Microsoft recommends uninstalling the incompatible software and installing this update. Customers should contact Citrix for more information and help with this XenDesktop software issue.

The third-party products that this bulletin discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

Note Windows Server Technical Preview 3 and Windows Server Technical Preview 4 are affected. Customers running these operating systems are encouraged to apply the update, which is available via Windows Update.

*The Updates Replaced column shows only the latest update in any chain of superseded updates. For a comprehensive list of updates replaced, go to the Microsoft Update Catalog, search for the update KB number, and then view update details (updates replaced information is provided on the Package Details tab).

Update FAQ

Internet Explorer 7 is not affected by the vulnerabilities discussed in this bulletin. Why am I still being offered the 3124275 update on systems that are running Internet Explorer 7?
While Internet Explorer 7 does not contain code that is affected by the vulnerabilities discussed in this bulletin, the update is cumulative. In addition to containing new non-security updates, the update also contains all of the security fixes previously released for Internet Explorer 7. Microsoft recommends that customers install update 3124275 on systems that are running Internet Explorer 7 to receive the applicable non-security fixes listed in Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 3124275.

For my particular system and Internet Explorer configuration, which update addresses the vulnerability discussed in CVE-2016-0002?
CVE-2016-0002 is a vulnerability in the VBScript engine. Although the attack vector is through Internet Explorer, the vulnerability is addressed by this update (3124275) only for systems running Internet Explorer 8, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 10, and Internet Explorer 11. For Internet Explorer 7 and earlier and for systems without Internet Explorer installed, the vulnerability is addressed by the update described in MS16-003.

The update that addresses CVE-2016-0002 depends on the version of the VBScript scripting engine that is installed on your system. Consult the following table for update information.

Vulnerability Information

Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability – CVE-2016-0002

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the VBScript engine renders when handling 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.

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.

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.

The update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how the VBScript scripting engine handles objects in memory.

The following table contains links to the standard entry for each vulnerability in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list: