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EdgeWeb browser · Microsoft

CVE-2016-3203

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-06-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows 10 Gold and 1511, and Microsoft Edge allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF document, aka "Windows PDF 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 · high confidence

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Windows PDF library used by both the Windows PDF Viewer and Microsoft Edge. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening specially crafted malicious PDF files, allowing arbitrary code execution with the current user's privileges.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS16-080 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Windows systems. As a workaround, disable PDF handling in Microsoft Edge or enable Protected View for all PDF files.

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
Windows 10Operating system
Affected:all versions= 1511
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2

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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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. Check Windows version to see if it matches affected platforms
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' and compare the displayed Windows version against: Windows 10 (all versions including 1511), Windows 8.1 (all versions), Windows Server 2012 (all versions), Windows Server 2012 R2
    Affected if The system runs Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2 (any version within these families)
  2. Verify Microsoft Edge PDF handling is enabled
    Check if Microsoft Edge is configured as the default handler for PDF files. Look in Settings > Apps > Default apps > Choose default apps by file type, or inspect registry key 'HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.pdf\UserChoice' for the ProgID
    Affected if Microsoft Edge is set as the default PDF handler (ProgID contains 'AppX...PDF' or 'Microsoft.EdgePDF')
  3. Confirm Windows PDF library component is present
    Check for the presence of the Windows PDF library DLLs in the system. Look for 'Windows.Data.Pdf.dll' in C:\Windows\System32\ or C:\Windows\SystemApps\ depending on Windows version
    Affected if The Windows PDF library DLL (Windows.Data.Pdf.dll or similar PDF rendering DLLs) exists on the system and is used by Edge or the PDF Viewer app
  4. Check if any PDF files have been opened in Edge recently
    Review browser history or recent documents in Edge. Alternatively, check the Windows Event Viewer under Microsoft-Windows-Edge-UI/Analytic logs for PDF-related activity if logging is enabled
    Affected if The user has opened PDF files using Microsoft Edge or the Windows PDF Viewer on this system

The system is potentially affected if it runs any version of Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2 AND uses Microsoft Edge or the built-in Windows PDF Viewer to handle PDF files, since the vulnerability exists in the underlying Windows PDF library used by both applications.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security update MS16-080 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Windows systems. As a workaround, disable PDF handling in Microsoft Edge or enable Protected View for all PDF files.

Fix this in Edge Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2016-3203 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