Skip to main content

Malware Protection Engine CVE-2017-8542

MEDIUM
Buffer Overflow (CWE-119)
2017-05-26 secure@microsoft.com
5.5
CVSS 3.0 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Weakness
CWE
ASVS 5.0
V15 - Secure Coding and Architecture Bounds checking, buffer size validation
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

CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, no privileges required, user interaction required. EPSS exploitation probability: 19.18%.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

A local attacker with access to the system could corrupt memory to execute arbitrary code or crash the application. No authentication is required to exploit this vulnerability.

This Month Plan within 30 days. Why: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9).
No patch listed yet 19.2% exploitation probability (EPSS)

Get an e-mail when this CVE is exploited, patched or re-scored. Free account.

Alert me

AnalysisAI

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is no authentication required, low attack complexity. Epss exploitation probability 19.2% and no vendor patch available.

RemediationAI

No vendor patch is available at time of analysis. Monitor vendor advisories for updates. Use memory-safe languages or bounds-checking. Enable ASLR, DEP/NX, stack canaries. Use safe string functions.

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

This vulnerability is classified as Buffer Overflow (CWE-119), which allows attackers to corrupt memory to execute arbitrary code or crash the application. The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10 Gold, 1511, 1607, and 1703, and Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 and 2016, does not properly scan a specially crafted file leading to denial of service. aka "Microsoft Malware Protection Engine Denial of Service Vulnerability", a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-8535, CVE-2017-8536, CVE-2017-8537, and CVE-2017-8539. Affected products include: Microsoft Forefront Security, Microsoft Malware Protection Engine, Microsoft Windows Defender.

Know when Malware Protection Engine gets its next vulnerability

  • Watch products and get an email when something new is published
  • Check this CVE against your own stack and servers
  • Exploit and PoC references, threat intelligence from 22 sources

No credit card · 7-day full trial

Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 5.5 MEDIUM
AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.

CVSS VectorNVD

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

DescriptionCVE.org

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10 Gold, 1511, 1607, and 1703, and Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 and 2016, does not properly scan a specially crafted file leading to denial of service. aka "Microsoft Malware Protection Engine Denial of Service Vulnerability", a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-8535, CVE-2017-8536, CVE-2017-8537, and CVE-2017-8539.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
19.2%
Top 5% exploitable
Data Quality
3 sources
Confidence: Low

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 MEDIUM
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 19.2%
Patch available No
Active threat No
Deciding rule
MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9)
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
Defer
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact· derived
Medium

Priority Score

47
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: +19
CVSS: +28
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
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.

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:forefront_security:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:malware_protection_engine:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:windows_defender:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
CVE-2017-0290 HIGH POC
7.8 May 09

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Serve

CVE-2017-8541 HIGH POC
7.8 May 26

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Serve

CVE-2017-8538 HIGH POC
7.8 May 26

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Serve

CVE-2017-11937 HIGH
7.8 Dec 07

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Windows 7 SP1, Windows

CVE-2017-11940 HIGH
7.8 Dec 08

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Windows 7 SP1, Windows

CVE-2013-1346 CRITICAL
9.3 May 15

mpengine.dll in Microsoft Malware Protection Engine before 1.1.9506.0 on x64 platforms allows remote attackers to execut

CVE-2017-8539 MEDIUM
5.5 May 26

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Serve

CVE-2021-42298 HIGH
7.8 Nov 10

Microsoft Defender Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authent

CVE-2021-34464 HIGH
7.8 Jul 16

Microsoft Defender Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authent

CVE-2021-34522 HIGH
7.8 Jul 14

Microsoft Defender Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authent

CVE-2021-34471 HIGH
7.8 Aug 12

Microsoft Windows Defender Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is l

CVE-2021-31985 HIGH
7.8 Jun 08

Microsoft Defender Remote Code Execution Vulnerability. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is no authent

This site uses cookies essential for authentication and security. No tracking or analytics cookies are used. Privacy Policy