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EdgeWeb browser · Microsoft

CVE-2016-3331

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-10-14
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
82/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable 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 Internet Explorer 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 "Microsoft Browser Memory Corruption 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 confidence

Memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 and Microsoft Edge allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service via a crafted website. The vulnerability stems from improper memory handling when the browser processes malicious web content.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability (part of MS16-077 or subsequent cumulative updates). Deploy via Windows Update, SCCM, or Group Policy. Consider restricting or temporarily replacing affected browsers until patching is complete.

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:= 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
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Internet Explorer 11 is installed
    Open Internet Explorer, click the gear icon or press Alt, then select About Internet Explorer. Verify the version shows 11.x
    Affected if Version displays as 11.x (any subversion of IE 11)
  2. Confirm Microsoft Edge is installed
    Check if Microsoft Edge is available on the system by searching in the Start menu or looking in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\ for the edge.exe executable
    Affected if Microsoft Edge executable is present on the system
  3. Check if MS16-077 security update is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates. Search for KB3160005 (MS16-077) or run 'wmic qfe list' in Command Prompt to list installed hotfixes
    Affected if KB3160005 is NOT listed in installed updates and the system has not received subsequent cumulative updates
  4. Check Windows Update history for IE/Edge cumulative patches
    Open Windows Update > View update history. Look for Security Updates for Windows that include 'Internet Explorer' or 'Microsoft Edge' with a date after June 2016 (the month MS16-077 released)
    Affected if No security updates for Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge are present in the update history, or the last such update predates June 2016
  5. Verify system is fully patched with latest cumulative update
    Open Windows Update and check for any pending updates. Ensure the most recent Cumulative Update for Internet Explorer (for IE11) or Cumulative Update for Windows 10 (for Edge) is installed
    Affected if System shows pending updates or the installed cumulative security update is older than the current patch release

The environment is affected if Internet Explorer 11 or Microsoft Edge is installed AND the system lacks MS16-077 (KB3160005) or subsequent cumulative security updates for the browser.

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 updates for this vulnerability (part of MS16-077 or subsequent cumulative updates). Deploy via Windows Update, SCCM, or Group Policy. Consider restricting or temporarily replacing affected browsers until patching is complete.

Fix this in Edge Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
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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-2016-3331 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