CVE-2017-0199
Microsoft Office 2007 SP3, Microsoft Office 2010 SP2, Microsoft Office 2013 SP1, Microsoft Office 2016, Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted document, aka "Microsoft Office/WordPad Remote Code Execution Vulnerability w/Windows API."
- CVSS
- 7.8Highscored by CISA
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 3 Nov 2021CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 3 May 2022known use in ransomware campaignspublic exploit code
- EPSS
- 99.5%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 0.1% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 12 Apr 2017analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
- Exploitable
- At runtime
- Attack vector
- local
- Can a WAF block it?
- No. See why
The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.
Affected products
Products named in our analysis
- microsoft:office
- microsoft:windows_7
- microsoft:windows_server_2008
- microsoft:windows_server_2012
- microsoft:windows_vista
- philips:intellispace_portal
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? No. The attack needs local access to the machine, so a WAF is not on its path.
Also consider: patch
Based on the attack vector (local or physical access). We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Remediation steps (AI-written)
Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.
Exploitation evidence
- CISA KEV catalog
- Listed since 3 Nov 2021. Known use in ransomware campaigns.
- CISA due date
- 3 May 2022, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Public exploit code
- Yes: 3 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module · 23 GitHub proofs of concept
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 10 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Exploit-DB
- Microsoft Excel - OLE Arbitrary Code Executiondos, 30 Sept 2017
- Microsoft Office Word - '.RTF' Malicious HTA Execution (Metasploit)remote, 25 Apr 2017, verified by Exploit-DB
- Microsoft Word - '.RTF' Remote Code Executionremote, 18 Apr 2017
Metasploit
- exploit/windows/fileformat/office_word_htaexploit, rank excellent
GitHub proofs of concept
- bhdresh/CVE-2017-0199726 stars
- haibara3839/CVE-2017-0199-master16 stars
- NotAwful/CVE-2017-0199-Fix13 stars
- SyFi/cve-2017-019912 stars
and 19 more repositories
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
Timeline
- 12 Apr 2017Published
- 13 Apr 2017First public exploit or proof of conceptsame day later
- 3 Nov 2021Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)1,665 days (about 5 years) later
- 3 May 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)181 days (about 6 months) later
- 10 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active1,015 days (about 3 years) later
- 21 Oct 2025CVE record last updated253 days (about 8 months) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | LocalLocal access required (shell, logged-in user). | Local access required (shell, logged-in user). |
| Attack complexity | LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions. | Repeatable attack, no special conditions. |
| Privileges required | NoneThe attacker needs no prior access. | The attacker needs no prior access. |
| User interaction | RequiredA victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate. | A victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate. |
| Scope | UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component. | Impact stays within the vulnerable component. |
| Confidentiality | HighTotal data disclosure possible. | Total data disclosure possible. |
| Integrity | HighComplete modification possible. | Complete modification possible. |
| Availability | HighFull outage possible. | Full outage possible. |
Common questions
Is CVE-2017-0199 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2017-0199 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2017-0199?
CVE-2017-0199 is rated High with a CVSS score of 7.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2017-0199?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2017-0199. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2017-0199 affect?
CVE-2017-0199 affects microsoft:office, microsoft:windows_7, microsoft:windows_server_2008, microsoft:windows_server_2012, and 2 further products or versions. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
References
12 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Exploits (3)
- exploit-db.com /exploits/41894/
- exploit-db.com /exploits/41934/
- exploit-db.com /exploits/42995/
Other links (9)
- securityfocus.com /bid/97498
- blog.nviso.be /2017/04/12/analysis-of-a-cve-2017-0199-malicious-rtf-document/
- rewtin.blogspot.nl /2017/04/cve-2017-0199-practical-exploitation-poc.html
- fireeye.com /blog/threat-research/2017/04/cve-2017-0199_useda.html
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com /en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2017-0199
- ics-cert.us-cert.gov /advisories/ICSMA-18-058-02
Show 3 more
- mdsec.co.uk /2017/04/exploiting-cve-2017-0199-hta-handler-vulnerability/
- securitytracker.com /id/1038224
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2017-0199
Where the data on this page comes from
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Exploit-DB: published exploits
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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