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EdgeWeb browser · Microsoft

CVE-2015-2494

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2015-09-09
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 through 11 and Microsoft Edge allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted web site, aka "Memory Corruption Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-2486, CVE-2015-2487, CVE-2015-2490, CVE-2015-2492, CVE-2015-2498, and CVE-2015-2499.

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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 through 11 and Microsoft Edge allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via a crafted website. This is a critical use-after-free or similar memory manipulation flaw in the browser's rendering engine.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS15-106 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to resolve the memory corruption vulnerability. Until patched, restrict access to untrusted websites and consider using alternative browsers for high-risk web browsing.

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
EdgeWeb browser
Affected:all versions
Internet ExplorerApplication
Affected:= 7= 8= 9= 10= 11

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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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. Check if Internet Explorer is installed and identify its version
    Open Internet Explorer, click Help in the menu bar, then select About Internet Explorer. Alternatively, check the version in Registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Version or VersionVector
    Affected if Version shows 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11 and the system lacks security update MS15-106 or later cumulative updates
  2. Check if Microsoft Edge is installed
    Look for Microsoft Edge in the Start Menu, or check for the executable at C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Edge_cw5n1h2txyewy\MicrosoftEdge.exe on Windows 10
    Affected if Microsoft Edge is present on the system and the system lacks cumulative Windows updates after October 2015
  3. Verify if security update MS15-106 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, then search for 'MS15-106' in the list. Alternatively, run 'wmic qfe list' command and look for KB3096443 or subsequent cumulative updates
    Affected if The update KB3096443 (MS15-106) or a later cumulative update is NOT listed in installed updates
  4. Confirm the vulnerability is reachable through browser rendering
    Verify that Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge are functional browsers on the system and have not been disabled or replaced with alternative browsers
    Affected if Either IE or Edge is the default browser and can render web content from untrusted sources

A user is affected if they run any version of Internet Explorer 7-11 or Microsoft Edge on an unpatched Windows system lacking MS15-106 (KB3096443) or subsequent cumulative updates, combined with the possibility of browsing to malicious websites.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security update MS15-106 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to resolve the memory corruption vulnerability. Until patched, restrict access to untrusted websites and consider using alternative browsers for high-risk web browsing.

Recommended fix High confidence

Install Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-106 (September 2015) or later cumulative security update

  1. Enable Automatic Updates on the Windows system to receive future security patches
  2. Manually check for updates by going to Windows Update (Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and clicking 'Check for updates'
  3. Install all pending security updates, particularly those from September 2015 (MS15-106)
  4. Restart the system if prompted after installing updates
  5. Verify Internet Explorer version has been updated to a patched version (IE11 should show updated security components)
  6. For Microsoft Edge, ensure the Windows system is fully patched as Edge updates come through Windows Update

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

Fix this in Edge Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2015-2494 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