CVE-2016-0047
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 · uneditedWinForms in Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 SP2, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, and 4.6.1 allows remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via crafted icon data, aka "Windows Forms Information Disclosure Vulnerability."
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 confidenceA memory disclosure vulnerability in Windows Forms (WinForms) allows remote attackers to read sensitive data from process memory by sending crafted icon data to affected .NET Framework applications. The vulnerability exists in how WinForms processes icon data, allowing uninitialized or sensitive memory contents to be exposed.
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= 2.0= 3.5= 3.5.1= 4.5.2= 4.6= 4.6.1CVSS 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
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check installed .NET Framework versionOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full (for .NET 4.x) or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v2.0 (for .NET 2.0/3.x). Check the Version value in the Install subkey.Affected if The version listed matches 2.0, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, or 4.6.1 exactly.
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Confirm WinForms component is in useInspect the application's bin directory or dependencies for System.Windows.Forms.dll, or check the project references if source is available. On the system, search for System.Windows.Forms.dll in the .NET Framework assembly folder (C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v*).Affected if System.Windows.Forms.dll is present and the application references WinForms components.
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Identify if application processes icon dataReview application logs, configuration, or code (if accessible) for icon loading functionality. Look for use of Icon.FromHandle, Image.FromFile, or similar methods that process icon or image data, especially from external or untrusted sources.Affected if The application loads, parses, or displays icons, particularly from network sources or user-supplied data.
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Check for internet-facing service exposureReview network listeners, web.config, or service configuration files to determine if the .NET application accepts connections from untrusted networks.Affected if The application exposes WinForms-based functionality directly to untrusted network traffic.
You are affected if your system runs any of the exact .NET Framework versions (2.0, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, or 4.6.1) AND uses WinForms to process icon data from external sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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.
From vendor dataApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2016-0047 to all systems running affected .NET Framework versions (2.0 SP2, 3.5, 3.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1). Prioritize internet-facing applications and servers processing untrusted icon data.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing6.0 h
- Review / QA3.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0047 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-0047 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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