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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 3 May 2022.
Internet ExplorerApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2018-8653

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-12-20
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 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 scripting engine handles objects in memory in Internet Explorer, aka "Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability." This affects Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 11, Internet Explorer 10. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8643.

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 remote code execution vulnerability exists in the scripting engine (VBScript) of Internet Explorer due to improper memory handling when processing objects in memory, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code via malicious web content.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update (KB4483182) to affected systems, or disable VBScript execution in Internet Explorer as a workaround. Ensure Windows systems are patched through standard patch management processes.

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
Internet ExplorerApplication
Affected:= 9= 10= 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:3.1/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. Confirm Internet Explorer is installed
    Check if Internet Explorer exists on the system by searching for iexplore.exe in common locations (C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\ or C:\Program Files (x86)\Internet Explorer\) or via the Start menu
    Affected if Internet Explorer is present on the system and has not been removed entirely
  2. Determine the installed Internet Explorer version
    Open Internet Explorer and navigate to 'About Internet Explorer' (Help > About Internet Explorer) or run 'iexplore.exe' and check the version displayed. Alternatively, check the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer for the Version value
    Affected if The version listed is 9, 10, or 11, indicating the affected version range
  3. Verify VBScript execution is enabled in Internet Explorer
    Open Internet Explorer, go to Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, and locate the 'Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting' setting. Also check Tools > Manage Add-ons to see if the VBScript add-on is enabled
    Affected if VBScript is enabled in Internet Explorer settings - the vulnerability requires VBScript to be processing malicious content to be exploitable
  4. Check if security update KB4483182 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' in Command Prompt, or check the registry at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\Packages for the presence of the KB4483182 update
    Affected if The KB4483182 update is NOT installed - the system remains vulnerable if this patch has not been applied

The system is affected if Internet Explorer versions 9, 10, or 11 are present, VBScript is enabled, and the KB4483182 security update has not been installed.

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 the Microsoft security update (KB4483182) to affected systems, or disable VBScript execution in Internet Explorer as a workaround. Ensure Windows systems are patched through standard patch management processes.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Migrate from Internet Explorer to Microsoft Edge as the primary browser. Internet Explorer is deprecated and no longer receives security updates.
  2. Disable Internet Explorer via Windows Features or Group Policy if migration is not immediately possible: Navigate to Control Panel > Programs > Turn Windows features on or off, then uncheck Internet Explorer 11.
  3. Alternatively, use the Microsoft Edge IE Mode for legacy application compatibility while maintaining security.
  4. Ensure Windows is fully updated through Windows Update to receive the latest cumulative security patches for IE 11 if it must remain enabled.
Caveat Internet Explorer is deprecated; some legacy web applications may require Microsoft Edge IE Mode for compatibility.

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

Fix this in Internet Explorer Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing1.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,090
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,744.

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-2018-8653 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