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Microsoft CVE-2013-3163

HIGH
Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)
2013-07-10 secure@microsoft.com
8.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A06:2021 - Vulnerable and Outdated Components
ASVS 5.0
V14 - Configuration Dependency management, component inventory
MITRE ATT&CK

2 techniques across 2 tactics: Execution, Privilege Escalation

The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up.

Impact

High risk. While a standard IE memory corruption, its use in targeted attacks against defense contractors and aerospace organizations demonstrates the value APT groups place on browser zero-days for initial access.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A watering hole attack compromised a defense industry forum. IE 8-10 users visiting the site triggered the memory corruption exploit, which used a Return-Oriented Programming (ROP) chain to bypass DEP and ASLR, installing a reconnaissance implant.

Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Why: In CISA KEV with patch available.
Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV) Patch available 82.9% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 26, 2026

Internet Explorer 8 through 10 contain a memory corruption vulnerability allowing remote code execution via crafted websites, used in targeted attacks against defense and aerospace organizations in 2013.

Earlier versions of this analysis (1)
v1 Mar 26, 2026 - 11:18 CVSS 8.8

A memory corruption vulnerability in Internet Explorer 8 through 10 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code when users visit a malicious website, actively exploited in targeted campaigns.

RemediationAI

Upgrade to modern browsers. Apply Microsoft security update MS13-055. Enable Enhanced Protected Mode in IE for additional sandboxing on supported systems.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

The CWE-787 memory corruption occurs in IE's HTML rendering engine when processing specially crafted DOM objects. The corruption allows attackers to overwrite function pointers or vtable entries, redirecting execution to attacker-controlled code.

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  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 8.8 HIGH
AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Network
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
None
User Interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

4
Added to CISA KEV
Oct 22, 2025 - 01:15 cisa
CISA KEV
PoC Detected
Oct 22, 2025 - 01:15 vuln.today
Public exploit code
Patch released
Oct 22, 2025 - 01:15 nvd
Patch available
CVE Published
Jul 10, 2013 - 03:46 nvd
HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 through 10 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted web site, aka "Internet Explorer Memory Corruption Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-3144 and CVE-2013-3151.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

Organizations using Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 through 10 face significant risk from CVE-2013-3163, a out-of-bounds write vulnerability rated CVSS 8.8. Exploitation could allow attackers to corrupt memory, crash the application, or potentially execute arbitrary code. This vulnerability is actively exploited in the wild (KEV-listed) and requires immediate remediation. A patch is available and should be applied as part of regular vulnerability management.

Business Impact: Severe
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. If immediate patching is not feasible: (1) Enable ASLR and DEP where available; (2) Implement network segmentation; (3) Monitor for exploitation indicators.

Threat Intelligence Overview

Threat Score
9.2/10
Composite threat intelligence
EPSS Score
82.9%
Top 1% exploitable
Threat Intel
2
1 sources
Exploit
POC
Public exploit code exists
Data Quality
8 sources
Confidence: High

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV Yes
Public POC Yes
EPSS 82.9%
Patch available Yes
Active threat Yes
Deciding rule
In CISA KEV with patch available
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Immediate
Exploitation· derived
Active
System Exposure· derived
Open
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
Very High

Priority Score

222
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: +50
EPSS: +83
CVSS: +44
PoC: +20
Weaponized: +15
Threat intel: +10
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

A buffer overflow occurs when a program writes more data to a memory buffer than it was allocated to hold, causing the excess data to spill into adjacent memory regions.

Memory corruption occurs when a program writes data beyond the boundaries of allocated memory regions or accesses memory in unintended ways, violating the integrity of the process's address space.

Remote Code Execution represents the critical moment when an attacker successfully runs arbitrary code on a target system without physical access.

Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.

Affected Products (CPE)CVE.org

cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:internet_explorer:8:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:internet_explorer:9:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:internet_explorer:10:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Threat IntelligenceMISP

Malware Families
ZxShell
ATT&CK Techniques (observed)
Sources: MITRE ATT&CK, Metasploit/Nuclei

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