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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 15 Aug 2022. Known ransomware use
Windows 10 1607Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2018-8174

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-05-09
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 Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges 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
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the VBScript engine handles objects in memory, aka "Windows VBScript Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability." This affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers.

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 use-after-free vulnerability in the VBScript engine allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via specially crafted web pages or documents that trigger improper handling of objects in memory. The vulnerability affects all Windows versions running VBScript scripting capability.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches (MSKB for CVE-2018-8174) to all affected Windows systems as a priority. As a workaround, disable VBScript execution in Internet Explorer or restrict VBScript through Group Policy until patches can be deployed.

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
Windows 10 1607Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1703Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1709Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1803Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Rt 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating 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
Network
Complexity
High
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/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. Identify Windows version
    Open Command Prompt and run `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"` to obtain the exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version matches Windows 10 1607, 1703, 1709, 1803, Windows 7 (any), Windows 8.1, Windows Rt 8.1, or Windows Server 2008/2008 R2
  2. Verify VBScript engine is present
    Check for the existence of VBScript.dll in the system directory (typically `C:\Windows\System32\VBScript.dll` or `C:\Windows\SysWOW64\VBScript.dll` on 64-bit systems)
    Affected if VBScript.dll exists on the system, indicating the VBScript engine is installed
  3. Check if VBScript is enabled in Internet Explorer
    Open Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, look for 'Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting' or check registry key `HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones\` for zone settings that permit VBScript execution
    Affected if VBScript execution is allowed in any Internet Explorer security zone (particularly Internet or Intranet zones)
  4. Review browser or application VBScript usage
    Examine installed browsers, productivity applications, or legacy systems that may invoke VBScript. Check for file associations with .vbs files or applications that process Office documents containing embedded VBScript macros
    Affected if Applications or browsers on the system are configured to process or execute VBScript content

A system is affected if it runs one of the listed Windows versions AND has the VBScript engine enabled, allowing specially crafted content to trigger the use-after-free condition.

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 patches (MSKB for CVE-2018-8174) to all affected Windows systems as a priority. As a workaround, disable VBScript execution in Internet Explorer or restrict VBScript through Group Policy until patches can be deployed.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Windows 10 version 1809 or later, or Windows Server 2019/2022, which include the fix by default

  1. Apply the Microsoft security update for May 2018 (MS17-013 or subsequent cumulative updates) which addresses CVE-2018-8174
  2. On affected Windows systems, install the latest Windows Security Update from Windows Update or your deployment tool
  3. For enterprise environments, deploy the update via WSUS, SCCM, or Group Policy
  4. After patching, verify VBScript functionality and confirm no regression issues
Caveat Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 reached end of support in January 2020; ensure extended security updates (ESU) are in place if these systems must remain in production

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1607 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation12.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
25.0 hours of engineering $4,400
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,040.

Scan for this in your stack

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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2018-8174 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