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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 18 Apr 2022. Known ransomware use
Internet ExplorerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2013-2551

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2013-03-11
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 10 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web site that triggers access to a deleted object, as demonstrated by VUPEN during a Pwn2Own competition at CanSecWest 2013, aka "Internet Explorer Use After Free Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-1308 and CVE-2013-1309.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 6 through 10 where a crafted webpage triggers access to a previously deleted object, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code. The vulnerability was demonstrated at Pwn2Own CanSecWest 2013.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates to address this vulnerability; if IE 10 is still in use, migrate to Microsoft Edge or a supported browser, and ensure Windows Update is enabled and systems are patched.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Internet ExplorerApplication
Affected:= 6= 7= 8= 9= 10

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Determine Internet Explorer version
    Open Internet Explorer, click Help > About Internet Explorer, or check the registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer at Value 'Version'
    Affected if The displayed version is 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, or 10.0
  2. Verify MS13-037 security update presence
    Open Control Panel > Windows Update > View update history, or run 'wmic qfe list' command to list installed updates, and search for security update KB2846071 (MS13-037)
    Affected if The security update KB2846071 is NOT listed as installed and the IE version is 6-10
  3. Confirm IE is actively used or set as default
    Check if Internet Explorer is enabled as a browser feature via Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs > Set program access and computer defaults, or simply confirm user actively uses IE
    Affected if Internet Explorer is enabled as the default browser or actively used for web browsing
  4. Check if IE version is supported
    Verify the IE version against Microsoft's support lifecycle; IE 6-10 are all end-of-life and no longer receive security patches
    Affected if The installed IE version is 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 and is not receiving current security updates

You are affected if running unpatched Internet Explorer versions 6 through 10, as the use-after-free flaw requires no special configuration beyond using the browser to visit a crafted website.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch docs.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates to address this vulnerability; if IE 10 is still in use, migrate to Microsoft Edge or a supported browser, and ensure Windows Update is enabled and systems are patched.

Recommended fix High confidence

Internet Explorer 10 or 11 (depending on Windows OS version compatibility), as this vulnerability was patched in MS13-037 (May 2013)

  1. Upgrade to a supported version of Internet Explorer (IE 10 or IE 11) that includes the MS13-037 security update addressing this vulnerability
  2. If the operating system does not support IE 10 or 11, consider upgrading to a newer Windows version that supports a current version of Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge
  3. Alternatively, use an alternative modern web browser (such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox) that receives active security updates
  4. Ensure automatic updates are enabled for the operating system and browser to receive future security patches
Caveat Limited - upgrading IE may change rendering behavior for legacy web applications; some internal line-of-business apps may require compatibility mode or alternative browser

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Internet Explorer Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,180
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,488.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-2551 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2013-2551 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data