Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2014-4123 is a high-severity Microsoft Internet Explorer vulnerability affecting IE 7 through 11. A remote attacker could use a crafted website to gain privileges after user interaction. The source bundle states it was exploited in the wild in October 2014 and CISA lists it in KEV.
Executive priority
Treat this as urgent for any environment with legacy Internet Explorer dependency. The vulnerability is old but KEV-listed and historically exploited, so unmanaged legacy systems can still create disproportionate business risk.
Technical view
The CVSS 3.1 vector is AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H, indicating network reachability, low attack complexity, no prior privileges, and required user interaction. Microsoft tracks it in MS14-056 as an Internet Explorer elevation of privilege issue, distinct from CVE-2014-4124.
Likely exposure
Exposure is most likely on legacy systems where Internet Explorer 7 through 11 remains installed or usable for browsing untrusted content. The provided affected-product metadata is incomplete, so teams should confirm exact platform scope against Microsoft MS14-056 and asset inventory.
Exploitation context
Active exploitation is supported by the CVE description and CISA KEV listing. The cited description says it was exploited in the wild in October 2014. The evidence does not include current exploitation details, exploit volume, or affected campaign specifics.
Researcher notes
The source bundle provides strong evidence for historical exploitation and Microsoft advisory coverage, but limited affected-version metadata beyond the CVE description. Avoid assuming modern product impact without confirming against MS14-056 and local system inventory.
Mitigation direction
- Review Microsoft MS14-056 and apply the applicable security update guidance.
- Prioritize any internet-facing or user-browsing systems that still rely on IE 7 through 11.
- Restrict legacy IE use to trusted business sites where replacement is not immediate.
- Check CISA KEV guidance for required remediation expectations.
- Retire affected IE usage where business processes allow.
Validation and detection
- Inventory endpoints and applications that still launch Internet Explorer 7 through 11.
- Confirm whether MS14-056 or superseding Microsoft updates are installed.
- Review proxy or EDR telemetry for legacy IE access to untrusted websites.
- Document exceptions for systems that cannot be updated or retired.
- Verify compensating controls with the asset owner and security team.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
Privilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2014-4123 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 8.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H2.85.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
8.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- MS14-056CVE reference · vendor-advisory, x_refsource_MS
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2014-4123CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.