CVE-2016-0147
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 · uneditedMicrosoft XML Core Services 3.0 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web site, aka "MSXML 3.0 Remote Code Execution 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 · moderate confidenceThis is a memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft XML Core Services 3.0 (MSXML3) that allows remote attackers to achieve arbitrary code execution when a user visits a crafted malicious website. The vulnerability exploits how MSXML parses specially crafted XML content, likely through a buffer overflow or similar memory handling flaw.
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= 3.0CVSS 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:3.0/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check if MSXML3 COM object is registeredOpen Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSXML2.DOMDocument.3.0. If this key exists, MSXML3 is installed on the system.Affected if The registry key exists, indicating MSXML3 is present.
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Find installed MSXML3 version via registryLocate the version string in the registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSXML2.DOMDocument.3.0\CLSID, then check HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{your CLSID}\InprocServer32 for the DLL path. Alternatively, check HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSXML or HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\MSXML for version information.Affected if The version listed is 3.0 (the only affected version).
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Check msxml3.dll file version directlyNavigate to C:\Windows\System32\msxml3.dll (or the path found in registry), right-click the file, select Properties, and view the Version tab to see the Product Version.Affected if The Product Version shows 3.0.xxxx indicating version 3.0.
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Verify if vulnerable MSXML3 is in use via PowerShellRun: $msxml = New-Object -ComObject MSXML2.DOMDocument.3.0; $msxml.version to retrieve the version programmatically.Affected if The returned version is 3.0.
A system is affected if MSXML version 3.0 is installed, since this is the sole version range affected by CVE-2016-0147.
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 (MS16-051) that addresses this vulnerability. If immediate patching is not possible, consider disabling MSXML COM objects or restricting Internet Explorer/Edge to limit exposure to untrusted websites.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0147 — 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-2016-0147 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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- 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
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