CriticalCVE-2019-0676

    Microsoft Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability (CVE-2019-0676)

    Published In CISA KEV since Sources: CVE.org

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    What is affected, what to do

    An information disclosure vulnerability exists when Internet Explorer improperly handles objects in memory.An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could test for the presence of files on disk, aka 'Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability'.

    The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

    Affected
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1..Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1..Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1..Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems..Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems..Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows Server 2012 R2..Windows Server 2012 R2
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows RT 8.1..Windows RT 8.1
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems..Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 for x64-based Systems..Windows 10 for x64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows Server 2016..Windows Server 2016
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems..Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems..Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems..Windows 10 Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1703 for x64-based Systems..Windows 10 Version 1703 for x64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems..Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems..Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems..Windows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems..Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems..Windows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems..Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems..Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems..Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows Server 2019..Windows Server 2019
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 eq Windows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems..Windows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 eq Windows Server 2012..Windows Server 2012

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    Metrics

    6.5

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    6.5

    CVSS v3

    Severity Medium on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: CVE.org

    8.1 %

    EPSS score

    Moderate — model estimates 1-10% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 94.8

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    Critical
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    204.44 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    actively exploited
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    6.5 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    6.5
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    8.1 %
    Moderate — model estimates 1-10% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    94.8
    Critical — this CVE ranks in the top fifth of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 80%).
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited
    Published
    In CISA KEV since

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    CISA assessment (SSVC)
    Exploitation: active · not automatable · Technical impact: partial
    Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 7 February 2025

    Response and mitigation

    Why act now?

    Prioritisation rationale

    The flaw is network-reachable without authentication but needs a user to visit a page. Its impact is limited to confidentiality: an attacker can confirm whether specific files exist on disk. It earned its KEV listing as a reconnaissance primitive inside attack chains, used to detect security tooling, sandboxes or analyst environments before the real exploit or malware is delivered. Exploitation likelihood is comparatively high, and CISA reports no known ransomware use. Treat it as low priority where IE and IE mode are removed or patched, and as high priority wherever legacy Windows with IE still has internet access, because such hosts almost always carry further unpatched browser flaws.

    1. Runbook step 1

      Immediate response (0-24 h)

      • Inventory: Find every host running Internet Explorer 10/11, especially Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1/RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, 2012 and 2012 R2. Also include clients that use Edge IE mode, which runs the MSHTML/Trident engine. Via EDR or Intune, query the file version of C:\Windows\System32\mshtml.dll and check whether iexplore.exe is present.
      • Patch: Apply the Internet Explorer cumulative security update from Microsoft's February 2019 Patch Tuesday, or any later cumulative update. Look up the KB number per OS in the MSRC advisory for CVE-2019-0676. Confirm the fix by comparing the mshtml.dll version against the advisory.
      • Disable standalone IE: Turn it off with the GPO "Disable Internet Explorer 11 as a standalone browser", or remove the optional feature (Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Internet-Explorer-Optional-amd64). Servers should not have IE at all.
      • Isolate unsupported OSes: Hosts without vendor support or ESU (Windows 7, 2008 R2, 8.1, 2012/2012 R2) must not reach the internet directly. Allow them proxy-allowlisted egress only.
      • Restrict Edge IE mode: Trim the Enterprise Mode Site List to the internal legacy apps that genuinely need it. Prevent IE mode from being used for external domains by combining the InternetExplorerIntegrationLevel policy with a tight site list.

    2. Runbook step 2

      Mitigation layers

      • Application control: Add an AppLocker or WDAC deny rule for iexplore.exe under both %ProgramFiles% and %ProgramFiles(x86)%\Internet Explorer. Allow exceptions only for documented legacy workstations.
      • Proxy/SWG: Block or redirect outbound requests to external destinations with a Trident/7.0 or MSIE 10.0 User-Agent. Allowlist internal legacy hosts.
      • Content filtering: Block ad networks and uncategorised or newly registered domains for legacy clients. File-existence probes are typically served via crafted pages or malvertising, which fingerprint security products and sandbox artefacts before delivering a payload.
      • Browser hardening on remaining hosts: Disable Active Scripting for the Internet zone, or set it to Prompt (GPO: Internet Explorer > Internet Control Panel > Security Page > Internet Zone). Enable Enhanced Protected Mode, and Enhanced Security Configuration on servers.
      • IAM/usage: Prohibit interactive browsing on servers and from admin accounts by using privileged access workstations. This removes the user interaction the attack depends on.
      • Segmentation: Give legacy VLANs proxy-only egress. Drop direct outbound TCP 80/443 to the internet at the firewall.

    3. Runbook step 3

      Detection rules

      • Sysmon EID 1 / Windows 4688: iexplore.exe starts on a host where IE should be disabled, or is spawned by an Office, PDF or mail process. Example KQL: DeviceProcessEvents | where FileName =~ "iexplore.exe" and InitiatingProcessFileName in~ ("winword.exe","excel.exe","outlook.exe","acrord32.exe")
      • Sysmon EID 7 (ImageLoad): mshtml.dll is loaded into non-browser processes such as mshta.exe or Office applications, which points to embedded Trident content being used as the delivery vector. Sigma shape: ImageLoaded|endswith: '\mshtml.dll' with Image not in an allowlist.
      • Proxy logs: External requests with a Trident/7.0 UA, especially to newly registered domains or ad networks. Example SPL: index=proxy http_user_agent="*Trident/7.0*" NOT dest_category=internal | stats count by src, dest
      • EDR file-access telemetry: Bursts of file-existence checks by iexplore.exe against AV/EDR install paths, VM tooling (e.g. VBox*, vmtools) or analysis tools. These are often followed by a download or execution of a follow-on payload.
      • Zeek/Suricata: HTTP sessions from legacy clients where a landing page is immediately followed by script fetches and executable content (application/x-msdownload). This is the classic exploit-kit chain.

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    An information disclosure vulnerability exists when Internet Explorer improperly handles objects in memory.An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could test for the presence of files on disk, aka 'Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability'.

    Source: cvelistv5, CISA KEV Catalog, NVD (NIST)

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    MicrosoftInternet Explorer 10
    • Windows Server 2012
    • —
    MicrosoftInternet Explorer 11
    • Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    • Windows RT 8.1
    • Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    • Windows Server 2012 R2
    • Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems
    • Windows Server 2016
    • Windows 10 Version 1703 for x64-based Systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems
    • Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1
    • Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems
    • Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems
    • Windows Server 2019
    • Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems
    • Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems
    • Windows 10 for x64-based Systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems
    • Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems
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    microsoftinternet_explorer
    • 10
    • 11
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    Vendors and products

    Public exploit references

    Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.

    Public exploit references
    CISA KEV CatalogCISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.govactively exploited

    References & sources

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