Actively exploited vulnerability
Microsoft Windows: code execution flaw under attack
CVE-2017-8464 · Microsoft Windows Shell (.lnk) Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
What is affected
Microsoft Windows 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.
Windows Shell in multiple versions of Microsoft Windows allows local users or remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted .LNK file
What an attacker can do
This is a code execution flaw. It lets an attacker run their own commands or programs on the affected system. In practice that usually means taking it over: installing malware, stealing data or using it to reach other devices on the same network.
- 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 Windows 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 February 10, 2022, which means there is reliable evidence of attacks in the wild. US federal agencies must fix it by August 10, 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 90% probability that this flaw will be exploited somewhere in the next 30 days. That is higher than 99.8% of all scored vulnerabilities.
Its CVSS severity score is 8.8 out of 10 (high), as recorded in the US National Vulnerability Database.
Technical description
Windows Shell in Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10 Gold, 1511, 1607, 1703, and Windows Server 2016 allows local users or remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted .LNK file, which is not properly handled during icon display in Windows Explorer or any other application that parses the icon of the shortcut. aka "LNK Remote Code Execution Vulnerability."