CVE-2016-3375
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 OLE Automation mechanism and VBScript scripting engine in Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 10 Gold, 1511, and 1607 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted web site, aka "Scripting Engine 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 · high confidenceMemory corruption vulnerability in the VBScript scripting engine and OLE Automation mechanism in Internet Explorer 9-11 and multiple Windows versions. Allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted website through memory corruption.
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= 9= 10= 11all versions= 1511= 1607all versionsall versionsall versionsall versions= r2all versions= r2all versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check Internet Explorer versionOpen Internet Explorer, click the gear icon (or Help menu), select 'About Internet Explorer'. The version will be displayed (must be 9, 10, or 11 to be affected).Affected if Internet Explorer version is 9, 10, or 11
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Confirm Windows versionRun 'winver' from the Start menu search box or check System Properties. Compare against the affected list: Windows Vista (all), Windows 7 (all), Windows 8.1 (all), Windows Rt 8.1 (all), Windows 10 (all versions including 1511 and 1607), Windows Server 2008 (all including r2), Windows Server 2012 (all including r2).Affected if Windows version matches any of the listed affected versions
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Verify VBScript is enabled in Internet ExplorerIn Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options > Security > Custom level. Scroll to 'Script ActiveX controls and binary behaviors' and check the settings. Alternatively, go to Internet Options > Programs > Manage add-ons and look for 'VBScript' entries to confirm the scripting engine is present and not disabled.Affected if VBScript is enabled (vulnerability requires VBScript to be active)
A system is affected if it runs Internet Explorer 9, 10, or 11 on any Windows version from Vista through 10/Server 2012, with VBScript enabled in the browser.
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 update KB3185611 (or subsequent superseded patches) to all affected Windows systems. Consider disabling VBScript execution in Internet Explorer as an additional defense-in-depth measure until patches can be deployed.
- Consultation6.0 h
- Implementation12.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-3375 — 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-2016-3375 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