CVE-2014-1776: Technical Deep-Dive (Auto Refreshed)

Generated on 2026-04-05T15:59:20.439Z. This file is automatically regenerated every 30 minutes by the CVE AI enrichment job using web sources (NVD, MITRE, CISA KEV, GitHub).

Executive Technical Summary

Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 11 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via vectors related to the CMarkup::IsConnectedToPrimaryMarkup function, as exploited in the wild in April 2014. NOTE: this issue originally emphasized VGX.DLL, but Microsoft clarified that "VGX.DLL does not contain the vulnerable code leveraged in this exploit. Disabling VGX.DLL is an exploit-specific workaround that provides an immediate, effective workaround to help block known attacks."

• Context preserved from previous revision: Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 11 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via vectors related to the CMarkup::IsConnectedToPrimaryMarkup function, as exploited in the wild in April 2014. NOTE: this issue originally emphasized VGX.DLL, but Microsoft clarified that "VGX.DLL does not contain the vulnerable code leveraged in this exploit. Disabling VGX.DLL is an exploit-specific workaround that provides an immediate, effective workaround to help block known attacks." 1. Use only isolated environments and systems you own or are explicitly authorized to test.

Technical Details

• CVE: CVE-2014-1776
• KEV date added: Unknown
• KEV due date: Not specified
• NVD published: 2014-04-27
• NVD modified: 2025-10-22
• MITRE modified: 2025-10-22
• CVSS base score: 9.8
• CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
• CVSS exploitability score: 3.9
• CVSS impact score: 5.9
• Attack vector: Network
• Attack complexity: Low
• Privileges required: None
• User interaction: None
• Scope: Unchanged
• Confidentiality impact: High
• Integrity impact: High
• Availability impact: High

Versions and Products Impacted

• microsoft / internet explorer (versions: 6)
• microsoft / internet explorer (versions: 7)
• microsoft / internet explorer (versions: 8)
• microsoft / internet explorer (versions: 9)
• microsoft / internet explorer (versions: 10)
• microsoft / internet explorer (versions: 11)
• n/a / n/a (versions: n/a)

Weakness Classification

• CWE-416

Repositories for Lab Validation (Public Examples)

• Ostorlab/KEV | stars: 608 | updated: 2026-03-23 | https://github.com/Ostorlab/KEV
  Notes: Ostorlab KEV: One-command to detect most remotely known exploitable vulnerabilities. Sourced from CISA KEV, Google's Tsunami, Ostorlab's Asteroid and Bug Bounty programs.

People and Organizations Mentioned

• microsoft
• Ostorlab

Practical Defensive Validation (Authorized Only)

1. Use only isolated environments and systems you own or are explicitly authorized to test.
2. Snapshot infrastructure before validation and preserve baseline logs (EDR, SIEM, OS, app).
3. Inventory microsoft / internet explorer (versions: 6) assets and confirm exact vulnerable versions with automated checks.
4. Patch in staged environments and validate closure with scanners + service health checks.
5. Map detections to MITRE ATT&CK tactics relevant to your environment and tune alert quality.

References

• NVD record: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2014-1776
• MITRE CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2014-1776
• CISA KEV Catalog: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
• CISA KEV JSON feed: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json
• http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2014/04/30/protection-strategies-for-the-security-advisory-2963983-ie-0day.aspx
• http://secunia.com/advisories/57908
• http://securitytracker.com/id?1030154
• http://www.fireeye.com/blog/uncategorized/2014/04/new-zero-day-exploit-targeting-internet-explorer-versions-9-through-11-identified-in-targeted-attacks.html
• http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/222929
• http://www.osvdb.org/106311
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/67075
• http://www.signalsec.com/cve-2014-1776-ie-0day-analysis/
• https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2014/ms14-021
• https://technet.microsoft.com/library/security/2963983
• https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2014-1776-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-microsoft-internet-explorer-detection-script
• https://www.vicarius.io/vsociety/posts/cve-2014-1776-use-after-free-vulnerability-in-microsoft-internet-explorer-mitigation-scripts
• https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2014-1776
• Repository example: https://github.com/Ostorlab/KEV

This content is for defensive security training and authorized validation only.