CVE-2015-1681

Vulnerability

A denial of service vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Management Console file format, affecting Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, and Windows RT Gold and 8.1 [1]. The flaw occurs when the MMC process parses a specially crafted .msc file, leading to improper validation of destination buffers [1].

Exploitation

An unauthenticated remote attacker must convince a user to open a specially crafted .msc file, for example by hosting it on a network share or sending it via email [1]. The attacker cannot force the user to open the file; user interaction is required [1]. The exploit sequence involves the user opening the malicious .msc file, triggering the vulnerable code path in the MMC snap-in loader [1].

Impact

Successful exploitation causes a denial of service, as the Microsoft Management Console process exits or becomes unresponsive, potentially preventing legitimate administrative tools from functioning [1]. The impact is limited to availability; no elevation of privilege or data compromise occurs [1].

Mitigation

Microsoft released security update MS15-054 (KB3051768) on May 12, 2015, which addresses the vulnerability by correcting the buffer validation logic [1]. Administrators should apply the update via Windows Update or direct download. No workarounds are documented [1].