Actively exploited vulnerability
Microsoft Internet Explorer: information disclosure flaw under attack
CVE-2016-0162 · Microsoft Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability
What is affected
Microsoft Internet Explorer is found on ordinary personal computers and phones, so this is not only a problem for companies. If you use it and have not updated since the fix was released, you are exposed.
An information disclosure vulnerability exists when Internet Explorer does not properly handle JavaScript. The vulnerability could allow an attacker to detect specific files on the user's computer.
What an attacker can do
This is a information disclosure flaw. It lets an attacker read data they are not supposed to see, such as memory contents, credentials or internal files. It is often the first step of a larger attack.
- How it is reached
- Over the internet or network
- Access the attacker needs
- No account needed
- Does the victim have to do something?
- Yes, the victim must open or click something
What to do
- Update Microsoft Internet Explorer now. Open the update or "About" screen, install whatever is offered and restart the app or device, because the fix is not active until you do.
- Turn on automatic updates so the next fix arrives without you having to look for it.
- If your device is too old to receive this update, stop using the affected app for anything sensitive and plan a replacement.
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
How urgent is it
CISA added this vulnerability to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on May 24, 2022, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by June 14, 2022, a deadline that has already passed. That deadline does not bind anyone else, but it shows how seriously the agency rates it.
The EPSS model estimates a 22% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 98% of all scored vulnerabilities.
Its CVSS severity score is 4.3 out of 10 (medium), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.
Technical description
Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11 allows remote attackers to determine the existence of files via crafted JavaScript code, aka "Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability."