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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 18 Apr 2022.
EdgeWeb browser · Microsoft

CVE-2017-0037

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2017-02-26
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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 10 and 11 and Microsoft Edge have a type confusion issue in the Layout::MultiColumnBoxBuilder::HandleColumnBreakOnColumnSpanningElement function in mshtml.dll, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving a crafted Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) token sequence and crafted JavaScript code that operates on a TH element.

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

Type confusion vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer and Edge's mshtml.dll, specifically in the Layout::MultiColumnBoxBuilder::HandleColumnBreakOnColumnSpanningElement function. Exploitable via crafted Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) token sequence combined with malicious JavaScript operating on a TH element, allowing remote arbitrary code execution.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2017-0037 to Internet Explorer and Edge; as interim workaround, disable JavaScript or restrict interaction with untrusted TH elements until patches are applied.

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
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/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. Identify Internet Explorer version
    Open Internet Explorer, click the gear icon (or Alt+X), select 'About Internet Explorer', and note the version number displayed. Alternatively, open devtools (F12) and check the user agent or use 'winver' command and check Windows version combined with IE version info.
    Affected if The version displayed is exactly 11.0.x (any subversion of IE 11)
  2. Confirm JavaScript is enabled in Internet Explorer
    Open Internet Explorer, go to Tools (gear icon) > Internet options > Security tab > Custom level > Scroll to 'Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting' and 'Script ActiveX controls not marked as safe' sections. Also check 'Enable' under 'Active scripting' in the 'Scripting' section.
    Affected if Active scripting is set to Enable or Prompt (the exploit requires JavaScript execution)
  3. Verify mshtml.dll version
    Locate mshtml.dll in the system directory (typically C:\Windows\System32\mshtml.dll or C:\Windows\SysWOW64\mshtml.dll for 32-bit IE on 64-bit Windows). Right-click > Properties > Details tab to view File Version.
    Affected if The file version is unpatched and matches a vulnerable build of mshtml.dll (specific version numbers require comparison against Microsoft security bulletin MS17-006)

A user is affected if they run unpatched Internet Explorer 11 with JavaScript enabled, or any unpatched version of Microsoft Edge, and encounter crafted web content with CSS token sequences targeting TH elements.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch portal.msrc.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2017-0037 to Internet Explorer and Edge; as interim workaround, disable JavaScript or restrict interaction with untrusted TH elements until patches are applied.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Ensure Windows Update is enabled and configured to automatically receive security updates
  2. Run Windows Update to check for and install the latest security updates
  3. Search for and install Microsoft Security Update MS17-007 (released March 2017) which addresses CVE-2017-0037
  4. After installing updates, restart the computer to complete the patch process
  5. Verify the update was installed by checking Windows Update history for the KB4012204 (IE) and KB4012204 (Edge) patches

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Edge Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2017-0037 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