CVE-2017-8618: Internet Explorer scripting engine memory corruption

Automated analysis

Generated by VULONE's analysis model from the NVD record, CISA KEV and EPSS data on 19 September 2026. Confidence: high.

high priorityRemote code execution in a widely deployed browser with a public exploit and very high EPSS, though it requires user interaction and a patch exists.

What it is

Internet Explorer's scripting engine mishandles objects in memory, causing a memory corruption condition (CWE-119) in affected Windows versions. A remote attacker who gets a user to load crafted content in IE can corrupt memory and potentially execute code in the browser's context. It is one of a large batch of scripting engine flaws patched in July 2017.

Impact

Successful exploitation can corrupt memory and allow arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the logged-on user. Because IE runs in the user's context, an attacker could install programs, view or change data, or create accounts with those rights.

Attack surface

Reached over the network (AV:N) by delivering a crafted web page or document that IE renders; the CVSS vector requires user interaction (UI:R) and no privileges (PR:N), so the victim must open or view the malicious content. No authentication is needed.

Exploitation

Not listed in CISA KEV, but a public Exploit-DB entry (42337) exists and EPSS is high at 0.58 (99th percentile), indicating meaningful exploitation likelihood.

What to do

• Apply the Microsoft security update referenced in the MSRC advisory for CVE-2017-8618 as the first action.
• Migrate users off Internet Explorer to a supported browser where feasible.
• Enforce EMET or Windows Defender Exploit Guard mitigations for IE on systems that cannot be patched immediately.
• Restrict browsing to trusted sites and block untrusted ActiveX/script content via IE security zones and group policy.

Detection

• Monitor for IE (iexplore.exe) crashes or unexpected child processes such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe or rundll32.exe spawned from the browser.
• Alert on exploit-db 42337 or known scripting-engine exploit patterns in proxy, IDS or endpoint telemetry.
• Hunt for suspicious script or HTML files written to user temp/download directories followed by IE execution.
• Review endpoint logs for memory-corruption crash signatures in jscript.dll, vbscript.dll or mshtml.dll.

This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.