CVE-2016-3319
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 · uneditedThe PDF library in Microsoft Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows 10 Gold and 1511, and Microsoft Edge allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted PDF file, aka "Microsoft 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 confidenceA remote code execution vulnerability exists in the Microsoft Windows PDF library affecting Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold/R2, Windows 10 (Gold and 1511), and Microsoft Edge. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening a specially crafted malicious PDF file, allowing arbitrary code execution with the current user's privileges.
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 dataall versionsall versions= 1511= 1607all versionsall versions= r2CVSS 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
- High
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/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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Identify Windows versionRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the installed Windows versionAffected if The version is Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012/R2, or Windows 10 (any build)
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Confirm Windows PDF library presenceCheck if the Windows PDF library component exists: look for pd.dll in C:\Windows\System32 or verify the 'Microsoft Windows PDF' feature is available via 'Get-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online' in PowerShellAffected if The Windows PDF library (pd.dll) is present on the system, which is default in affected Windows versions
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Verify Microsoft Edge installationCheck if Microsoft Edge is installed by locating MicrosoftEdge.exe in C:\Windows\SystemApps\ or via 'Get-AppxPackage *MicrosoftEdge*' in PowerShellAffected if Microsoft Edge is installed, as it uses the vulnerable Windows PDF library to render PDF files
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Check for security updatesRun 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for installation of MS16-102 security update (KB3178988 for Windows 10, KB3177725 for 8.1/Server 2012)Affected if The MS16-102 security update has NOT been installed, leaving the vulnerability unpatched
A system is affected if it runs Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012/R2, or Windows 10, has the Windows PDF library present, and is missing the MS16-102 security update.
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 Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability (MS16-102) and avoid opening untrusted PDF files from untrusted sources until patches are deployed.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-3319 — 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-2016-3319 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