Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-144 - Critical

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Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer (3204059)

Published: December 13, 2016

Version: 1.0

Executive Summary

This security update resolves vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. The most 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 the vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker 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 9 (IE 9), and Internet Explorer 11 (IE 11) on affected Windows clients, and Moderate for 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 update addresses the vulnerabilities by correcting how:

  • Microsoft browser and affected components handle objects in memory
  • Microsoft browser checks Same Origin Policy for scripts running inside Web Workers
  • Scripting engines handle objects in memory

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

For more information about this update, see Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 3204059.

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.

The severity ratings indicated for each affected software assume the potential maximum impact of the vulnerability. For information regarding the likelihood, within 30 days of this security bulletin’s release, of the exploitability of the vulnerability in relation to its severity rating and security impact, please see the Exploitability Index in the December bulletin summary.

Note Please see the Security Update Guide for a new approach to consuming the security update information. You can customize your views and create affected software spreadsheets, as well as download data via a restful API. For more information, please see the Security Updates Guide FAQ. As a reminder, the Security Updates Guide will be replacing security bulletins as of February 2017. Please see our blog post, Furthering our commitment to security updates, for more details.

**Operating System** **Component** **Maximum Security Impact** **Aggregate Severity Rating** **Updates Replaced***
**Internet Explorer 9**
Windows Vista Service Pack 2 [Internet Explorer 9](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3203621) (3203621) Remote Code Execution Critical 3197655 in [MS16-142](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830372)
Windows Vista Service Pack 2 [Microsoft Windows Hyperlink Object Library](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3208481)[1]
(3208481) 		Remote Code Execution Critical
Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2 [Internet Explorer 9](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3203621) (3203621) Remote Code Execution Critical 3197655 in [MS16-142](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830372)
Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2 [Microsoft Windows Hyperlink Object Library](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3208481)[1]
(3208481) 		Remote Code Execution Critical
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 [Internet Explorer 9](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3203621) (3203621) Remote Code Execution Moderate 3197655 in [MS16-142](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830372)
Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 [Microsoft Windows Hyperlink Object Library](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3208481)[1]
(3208481) 		Remote Code Execution Moderate
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 [Internet Explorer 9](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3203621) (3203621) Remote Code Execution Moderate 3197655 in [MS16-142](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830372)
Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 [Microsoft Windows Hyperlink Object Library](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3208481)[1]
(3208481) 		Remote Code Execution Moderate
**Internet Explorer 10**
Windows Server 2012 Security Only[1] [Internet Explorer 10](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205408)[2]
(3205408) 		Remote Code Execution Moderate None
Windows Server 2012 Monthly Rollup\[4\] [Internet Explorer 10](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205409)[2]
(3205409) 		Remote Code Execution Moderate 3197877 in [MS16-142](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=830372)
**Internet Explorer 11**
Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1 Security Only\[4\] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205394)
(3205394) 		Remote Code Execution Critical None
Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1 Monthly Rollup\[4\] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3207752)
(3207752) 		Remote Code Execution Critical [3197868](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3197868)
Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 Security Only[1] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205394)
(3205394) 		Remote Code Execution Critical None
Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 Monthly Rollup[3] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3207752)
(3207752) 		Remote Code Execution Critical [3197868](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3197868)
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 Security Only[3] [Internet Explorer 11](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205394) (3205394) Remote Code Execution Moderate None
Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 Monthly Rollup[3] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3207752)(3207752) Remote Code Execution Moderate [3197868](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3197868)
Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems Security Only[3] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205400)
(3205400) 		Remote Code Execution Critical None
Windows 8.1 for 32-bit Systems Monthly Rollup[3] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205401)
(3205401) 		Remote Code Execution Critical [3197874](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3197874)
Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems Security Only[3] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205400)
(3205400) 		Remote Code Execution Critical None
Windows 8.1 for x64-based Systems Monthly Rollup[3] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205401)
(3205401) 		Remote Code Execution Critical [3197874](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3197874)
Windows Server 2012 R2 Security Only[3] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205400)
(3205400) 		Remote Code Execution Moderate None
Windows Server 2012 R2 Monthly Rollup[3] [Internet Explorer 11 ](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205401)
(3205401) 		Remote Code Execution Moderate [3197874](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3197874)
Windows RT 8.1 Monthly Rollup[3] Internet Explorer 11[2]\[4\] (3205401) Remote Code Execution Critical [3197874](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3197874)
[Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205383)\[5\] (3205383) Internet Explorer 11 Remote Code Execution Critical [3198585](https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3198585)
[Windows 10 for x64-based Systems](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205383)\[5\] (3205383) Internet Explorer 11 Remote Code Execution Critical [3198585](https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3198585)
[Windows 10 Version 1511 for 32-bit Systems](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205386)\[5\] (3205386) Internet Explorer 11 Remote Code Execution Critical [3198586](https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3198586)
[Windows 10 Version 1511 for x64-based Systems](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3205386)\[5\] (3205386) Internet Explorer 11 Remote Code Execution Critical [3198586](https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3198586)
[Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3206632)\[5\] (3206632) Internet Explorer 11 Remote Code Execution Critical [3200970](https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3200970)
[Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3206632)\[5\] (3206632) Internet Explorer 11 Remote Code Execution Critical [3200970](https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3200970)
[Windows Server 2016 for x64-based Systems](http://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/search.aspx?q=kb3206632)\[5\] (3206632) Internet Explorer 11 Remote Code Execution Moderate [3200970](https://support.microsoft.com/kb/3200970)
[1] Internet Explorer 9 users must also install security update 3208481 to be fully protected from CVE-2016-7278.

[2]For information about changes in support for Internet Explorer beginning January 12, 2016, see Microsoft Support Lifecycle.

[3]Beginning with the October 2016 release, Microsoft has changed the update servicing model for Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2. For more information, please see this Microsoft TechNet article. 

[4]This update is available via Windows Update.

[5] Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 updates are cumulative. The monthly security release includes all security fixes for vulnerabilities that affect Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, in addition to non-security updates. The updates are available via the Microsoft Update Catalog. Please note that effective December 13, 2016, Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 details for the Cumulative Updates will be documented in Release Notes. Please refer to the Release Notes for OS Build numbers, Known Issues, and affected file list information.

Note The vulnerability discussed in this bulletin affects Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5.

Although an update is available for Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview 5 via Windows Update, Microsoft recommends that customers upgrade to Window Server 2016 at their earliest convenience. 

*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

In addition to installing this update are there any further steps I need to carry out to be protected from any of the vulnerabilities discussed in this bulletin?
Yes. For Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems installing the 3203621 cumulative update by itself does not fully protect against CVE-2016-7278 — you must also install security update 3208481 to be fully protected from the vulnerability.

Severity Ratings and Vulnerability Identifiers

The following severity ratings assume the potential maximum impact of the vulnerability. For information regarding the likelihood, within 30 days of this security bulletin's release, of the exploitability of the vulnerability in relation to its severity rating and security impact, please see the Exploitability Index in the December bulletin summary.

Where specified in the Severity Ratings and Impact table, Critical, Important, and Moderate values indicate severity ratings. For more information, see Security Bulletin Severity Rating System. Refer to the following key for the abbreviations used in the table to indicate maximum impact:

Abbreviation Maximum Impact
RCE Remote Code Execution
EoP Elevation of Privilege
ID Information Disclosure
SFB Security Feature Bypass
 

**Vulnerability Severity Ratings and Impact**
**CVE number** **Vulnerability title** **Internet Explorer 9** **Internet Explorer 10** **Internet Explorer 11** **Internet Explorer 11** **on Windows 10**
[CVE-2016-7202](http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=cve-2016-7202) Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE**
[CVE-2016-7278](http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=cve-2016-7278) Windows Hyperlink Object Library Information Disclosure Vulnerability Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID** 		Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID** 		Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID** 		Not applicable
[CVE-2016-7279](http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=cve-2016-7279) Microsoft Browser Memory Corruption Vulnerability Windows Clients: **Important / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Low / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Important / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Low / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Important / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Low / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Important / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Low / RCE**
[CVE-2016-7281](http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=cve-2016-7281) Microsoft Browser Security Feature Bypass Not applicable Windows Clients: **Important / SFB**
Windows Servers: **Low / SFB** 		Windows Clients: **Important / SFB**
Windows Servers: **Low / SFB** 		Windows Clients: **Important / SFB**
Windows Servers: **Low / SFB**
[CVE-2016-7282](http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=cve-2016-7282) Microsoft Browser Information Disclosure Vulnerability Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID** 		Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID** 		Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID** 		Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID**
[CVE-2016-7283](http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=cve-cve-2016-7283) Internet Explorer Memory Corruption Vulnerability Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE**
[CVE-2016-7284](http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=cve-2016-7284) Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability Not applicable Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID** 		Windows Clients: **Important / ID**
Windows Servers: **Low / ID** 		Not applicable
[CVE-2016-7287](http://www.cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=cve-2016-7287) Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability Not applicable Not applicable Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE** 		Windows Clients: **Critical / RCE**
Windows Servers: **Moderate / RCE**

Vulnerability Information

Multiple Information Disclosure Vulnerabilities

Information disclosure vulnerabilities exist in the way that the affected components handle objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited these vulnerabilities could obtain information to further compromise a target system.

In a web-based attack scenario an attacker could host a website in an attempt to exploit the vulnerabilities. Additionally, compromised websites and websites that accept or host user-provided content could contain specially crafted content that could be used to exploit the vulnerabilities. However, in all cases an attacker would have no way to force users to view attacker-controlled content. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to take action. For example, an attacker could trick users into clicking a link that takes them to the attacker's site.

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

Vulnerability title CVE number Publicly disclosed Exploited
Windows Hyperlink Object Library Information Disclosure Vulnerability CVE-2016-7278 No No
Microsoft Browser Information Disclosure Vulnerability CVE-2016-7282 Yes No
Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability CVE-2016-7284 No No
### Mitigating Factors Microsoft has not identified any [mitigating factors](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/dn848375.aspx) for these vulnerabilities. ### Workarounds Microsoft has not identified any [workarounds](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/dn848375.aspx) for these vulnerabilities. Multiple Microsoft Browser Memory Corruption Vulnerabilities ------------------------------------------------------------ Remote code execution vulnerabilities exist when Microsoft Browsers improperly accesses objects in memory. These vulnerabilities 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 these vulnerabilities could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, the attacker 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. An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit these vulnerabilities through Microsoft browsers, and then convince a user to view the website. The attacker could also take advantage of compromised websites, or websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements, by adding specially crafted content that could exploit these vulnerabilities. In all cases, however, an attacker would have no way to force users to view the attacker-controlled content. Instead, an attacker would have to convince users to take action, typically by an enticement in an email or Instant Messenger message, or by getting them to open an attachment sent through email. The update addresses these vulnerabilities by modifying how Internet Explorer handles objects in memory. The following table contains links to the standard entry for each vulnerability in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list:

Vulnerability title CVE number Publicly disclosed Exploited
Microsoft Browser – Memory Corruption Vulnerability CVE-2016-7279 No No
Internet Explorer Memory Corruption Vulnerability CVE-2016-7283 No No
### Mitigating Factors Microsoft has not identified any [mitigating factors](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/dn848375.aspx) for these vulnerabilities. ### Workarounds Microsoft has not identified any [workarounds](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/dn848375.aspx) for these vulnerabilities. ### FAQ **I am running Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2. Does this mitigate these vulnerabilities?**  Yes. By default, Internet Explorer on Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2 runs in a restricted mode that is known as [Enhanced Security Configuration](http://technet.microsoft.com/library/dd883248). Enhanced Security Configuration is a group of preconfigured settings in Internet Explorer that can reduce the likelihood of a user or administrator downloading and running specially crafted web content on a server. This is a mitigating factor for websites that you have not added to the Internet Explorer Trusted sites zone. **Can EMET help mitigate attacks that attempt to exploit these vulnerabilities?**  Yes. The Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) enables users to manage security mitigation technologies that help make it more difficult for attackers to exploit memory corruption vulnerabilities in a given piece of software. EMET can help mitigate attacks that attempt to exploit these vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer on systems where EMET is installed and configured to work with Internet Explorer. For more information about EMET, see the [Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit](http://technet.microsoft.com/security/jj653751). Microsoft Browser Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability ------------------------------------------------------- A security feature bypass vulnerability exists when the Microsoft browsers fail to correctly apply Same Origin Policy for scripts running inside Web Workers. An attacker could trick a user into loading a page with malicious content. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would need to trick a user into loading a page or visiting a site. The page could also be injected into a compromised site or ad network. The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting the Same Origin Policy check for scripts running inside Web Workers. The following table contains links to the standard entry for the vulnerability in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list:

Vulnerability title CVE number Publicly disclosed Exploited
Microsoft Browser Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability CVE-2016-7281 Yes No
### Mitigating Factors Microsoft has not identified any [mitigating factors](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/dn848375.aspx) for this vulnerability. ### Workarounds Microsoft has not identified any [workarounds](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/dn848375.aspx) for this vulnerability. Multiple Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerabilities ----------------------------------------------------------- Multiple remote code execution vulnerabilities exist in the way affected Microsoft scripting engines render when handling objects in memory in Microsoft browsers. The vulnerabilities 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 vulnerabilities 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 vulnerabilities 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 vulnerabilities through a Microsoft browser 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 Edge 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 vulnerabilities. The security update addresses the vulnerabilities by modifying how the affected Microsoft scripting engines handle objects in memory. The following table contains links to the standard entry for each vulnerability in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures list:

Vulnerability title CVE number Publicly disclosed Exploited
Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability CVE-2016-7202 Yes No
Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability CVE-2016-7287 No No
### Mitigating Factors Microsoft has not identified any [mitigating factors](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/dn848375.aspx) for these vulnerabilities. ### Workarounds Microsoft has not identified any [workarounds](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/dn848375.aspx) for these vulnerabilities. Security Update Deployment -------------------------- For Security Update Deployment information see the Microsoft Knowledge Base article referenced in the Executive Summary. Acknowledgments --------------- Microsoft recognizes the efforts of those in the security community who help us protect customers through coordinated vulnerability disclosure. See [Acknowledgments](https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/mt674627.aspx) for more information. Disclaimer ---------- The information provided in the Microsoft Knowledge Base is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Microsoft disclaims all warranties, either express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of business profits or special damages, even if Microsoft Corporation or its suppliers have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages so the foregoing limitation may not apply. Revisions --------- - V1.0 December 13, 2016: Bulletin published. *Page generated 2016-12-14 08:51-08:00.*