CVE-2006-1188: Internet Explorer memory corruption via crafted HTML tag

Automated analysis

Generated by VULONE's analysis model from the NVD record, CISA KEV and EPSS data on 19 September 2026. Confidence: medium.

high priorityRemote unauthenticated code execution with a high EPSS score, though the product is legacy and no KEV listing or public exploit tag is present.

What it is

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 through 6 contains a memory corruption flaw triggered by HTML elements with a certain crafted tag. A remote attacker can deliver a malicious page that corrupts memory and executes arbitrary code in the context of the browser. The record does not specify the exact tag or the affected patch level beyond the version range.

Impact

An attacker who gets the page rendered can execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the logged-on user, giving full control of the affected system if the user has administrative rights.

Attack surface

Reached over the network by a victim viewing a crafted web page or HTML document in Internet Explorer; no authentication is required, but user interaction (opening or browsing to the page) is needed. The CVSS vector AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P confirms remote, unauthenticated access with partial confidentiality, integrity and availability impact.

Exploitation

Not listed in CISA KEV and no ransomware usage documented, but EPSS is 0.57234 (99th percentile), indicating a high modeled likelihood of exploitation. References include patch and US Government resource tags but no public exploit tag.

What to do

• Apply Microsoft security bulletin MS06-013, which addresses this flaw, or upgrade to a supported Internet Explorer version.
• Restrict browsing with Internet Explorer 5.01-6 to trusted sites and disable ActiveX and scripting where feasible.
• Enforce the principle of least privilege so users do not browse with administrative rights.
• Use network or proxy filtering to block known malicious HTML patterns and untrusted content.
• Retire or isolate end-of-life systems that cannot be patched.

Detection

• Monitor for Internet Explorer crashes or unexpected process terminations on endpoints running IE 5.01-6.
• Hunt for suspicious child processes spawned by iexplore.exe, such as cmd.exe or scripting hosts.
• Review proxy and web logs for requests to known exploit-hosting domains and malformed HTML content.
• Use OVAL definitions referenced in the record to check patch state on affected hosts.

This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.