Windows ASLR Vulnerability

Address Space Layout Randomisation (ASLR) protects against code-reuse and memory overflow attacks by loading executables at non-predictable locations.

Threat ID:: CC-1804
Category:: Exploit
Threat Severity:: Medium
Threat Vector:
Published:: 23 November 2017 12:00 AM

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Summary

Address Space Layout Randomisation (ASLR) protects against code-reuse and memory overflow attacks by loading executables at non-predictable locations.

Affected platforms

The following platforms are known to be affected:

Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows 8 and later.

Threat details

An error in the way Microsoft Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) and Defender Exploit Guard implement ASLR may result in applications using non-DYNAMICBASE flags being loaded at static locations, voiding the benefit of using ASLR.

Remediation steps

Type	Step
	At present there is no practical solution to this vulnerability. As of 14:27 24/11/2017, Microsoft have acknowledged that mandatory ASLR can be improperly configured, but that there is no underlying vulnerability and as such no fix will be issued. For more information search for Microsoft TechNet article "Clarifying the behavior of mandatory ASLR".

Type

Step

At present there is no practical solution to this vulnerability.

As of 14:27 24/11/2017, Microsoft have acknowledged that mandatory ASLR can be improperly configured, but that there is no underlying vulnerability and as such no fix will be issued. For more information search for Microsoft TechNet article "Clarifying the behavior of mandatory ASLR".

Last edited: 17 February 2020 11:41 am