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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-2020-0674

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2020-02-11
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 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 CVE ID is unique from CVE-2020-0673, CVE-2020-0710, CVE-2020-0711, CVE-2020-0712, CVE-2020-0713, CVE-2020-0767.

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

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Internet Explorer's scripting engine due to improper memory handling when processing objects. An attacker who successfully exploits this vulnerability could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user.

MitigationApply the applicable Microsoft security update for this vulnerability. As a hardening measure, consider disabling VBScript in Internet Explorer or restricting ActiveX controls, and ensure users are directed away from Internet Explorer toward modern browsers.

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
    Open Start menu, search for 'Internet Explorer' or check Program Files (C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe) for the executable
    Affected if Internet Explorer is present on the system and the version is 9, 10, or 11
  2. Identify Internet Explorer version
    Open Internet Explorer, click Help > About Internet Explorer, or run 'iexplore.exe' and check the title bar or About dialog
    Affected if Version displayed is 9, 10, or 11 (all affected per CVE-2020-0674)
  3. Check if VBScript is enabled in Internet Explorer
    In Internet Explorer, go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom Level, scroll to 'Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting' and check the settings; alternatively, check registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zones for VBScript permissions
    Affected if VBScript is enabled (set to Enable or Prompt) in any security zone, particularly Internet and Intranet zones
  4. Verify if security update is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, search for '2020-01' or the specific KB number for CVE-2020-0674 (KB4537829 for January 2020), or run 'wmic qfe list' command
    Affected if The specific security update for CVE-2020-0674 is NOT installed

The system is affected if Internet Explorer versions 9, 10, or 11 are installed with VBScript enabled and the CVE-2020-0674 security update has not been applied.

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 applicable Microsoft security update for this vulnerability. As a hardening measure, consider disabling VBScript in Internet Explorer or restricting ActiveX controls, and ensure users are directed away from Internet Explorer toward modern browsers.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2020-0674 (Microsoft Security Bulletin)

  1. Apply the relevant Microsoft security update for CVE-2020-0674. This is typically delivered through Windows Update or the Microsoft Update Catalog.
  2. Open Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and check for updates.
  3. Install all pending security updates, particularly any cumulative security update for Internet Explorer.
  4. If automatic updates are not available, manually search the Microsoft Update Catalog for the specific security update matching this CVE (referenced in Microsoft Security Advisory).
  5. Restart the system after applying updates.
  6. Verify the update was successfully installed by checking Windows Update history.

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

Fix this in Internet Explorer Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,408.

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-2020-0674 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