CVE-2009-0551

Vulnerability

A page transition memory corruption vulnerability exists in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, 6, and 7 running on Windows XP SP2/SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP1/SP2, Windows Vista Gold/SP1, and Windows Server 2008. The flaw occurs when the browser mishandles transition errors during navigation between two HTTP documents, leading to memory corruption [1][2].

Exploitation

An attacker can exploit this vulnerability by hosting a specially crafted web page that triggers the transition error, or by placing malicious inline content such as banner advertisements on a legitimate site [1]. The attacker must convince the user to visit the page, typically via a link or by injecting content into a trusted site. No additional authentication or user privileges beyond normal browsing are required [1][3].

Impact

Successful exploitation allows remote code execution in the context of the current user [1]. If the user has administrative rights, the attacker can take complete control of the system, including installing programs, viewing or altering data, and creating new accounts [1]. Users with fewer rights face a reduced impact [1][4].

Mitigation

Microsoft released security bulletin MS09-014 (update 963027) on April 14, 2009, which addresses this vulnerability by modifying how Internet Explorer handles page transition errors [1]. Customers with automatic updating enabled received the update automatically. For systems where automatic updates are not enabled, manual installation is recommended [1][4]. Avaya products using affected Windows operating systems should apply the update via Windows Update [2].