CVE-2016-10612

Vulnerability

dalek-browser-ie-canary is Internet Explorer bindings for DalekJS that downloads binary resources over unencrypted HTTP connections [1]. This design leaves the package vulnerable to man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks. All versions of the package are affected, and the package has been marked as deprecated by its author [2].

Exploitation

An attacker with a privileged network position—such as being on the same local network or positioned between the user and the remote server—can intercept the HTTP request for the binary resource. The attacker can then replace the legitimate binary with a malicious one. No authentication or user interaction is required beyond the normal operation of the package [1][2].

Impact

If the attacker successfully swaps the binary, the malicious executable runs on the system with the privileges of the process using dalek-browser-ie-canary. This results in remote code execution (RCE), potentially leading to full compromise of the affected system [1][2].

Mitigation

No patch is available for this vulnerability, and the package is deprecated [2]. The recommended mitigation is to avoid using dalek-browser-ie-canary altogether and switch to an alternative package. If the package must be used, restrict installation to private networks where only trusted parties have network access, reducing the risk of MITM exploitation [2].