CVE-2019-0541
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the MSHTML engine inproperly validates input, aka "MSHTML Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability." This affects Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Word Viewer, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Excel Viewer, Internet Explorer 10, Office 365 ProPlus.
- CVSS
- 8.8Highscored by CISA
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes, in CISA KEV since 3 Nov 2021CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 3 May 2022public exploit code
- EPSS
- 53.2%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 2% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
- Fix
- Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
- Published
- 8 Jan 2019analysed here 12 Nov 2026
Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)
Summary
Triage
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
| Product | Affected versions | Vendor says fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 | Windows Server 2012Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 | Windows 10 for 32-bit SystemsWindows 10 for x64-based SystemsWindows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit SystemsWindows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based SystemsWindows 10 Version 1703 for 32-bit SystemsWindows 10 Version 1703 for x64-based SystemsWindows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit SystemsWindows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based SystemsWindows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based SystemsWindows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit SystemsWindows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based SystemsWindows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based SystemsWindows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit SystemsWindows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based SystemsWindows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based SystemsWindows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systemsWindows 8.1 for x64-based systemsWindows RT 8.1Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1Windows Server 2012 R2Windows Server 2016Windows Server 2019Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 | Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Microsoft Excel Viewer | 2007 Service Pack 3Vendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Microsoft Office | 2010 Service Pack 2 (32-bit editions)2010 Service Pack 2 (64-bit editions)2013 RT Service Pack 12013 Service Pack 1 (32-bit editions)2013 Service Pack 1 (64-bit editions)2016 (32-bit edition)2016 (64-bit edition)2019 for 32-bit editions2019 for 64-bit editionsVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Microsoft Office Word Viewer | Microsoft Office Word ViewerVendor says fixed in: not stated | |
| Microsoft Office | 365 ProPlus for 32-bit Systems365 ProPlus for 64-bit SystemsVendor says fixed in: not stated |
As published in the CVE Program record. A version outside these ranges is not a statement that it is unaffected — vendors sometimes understate a range, and distribution-backported builds carry upstream numbers that do not reflect what was patched into them.
Products named in our analysis
- microsoft:internet_explorer
- microsoft:excel_viewer
- microsoft:office
- microsoft:office_365_proplus
- microsoft:office_word_viewer
Fix and mitigation
WAF and other mitigations
Can a WAF block it? Partly. Command injection puts shell syntax into the request. WAF rules catch common shell commands but miss encoded or unusual payloads.
Also consider: input validation · RASP
Based on the weakness type only; no CVE-specific evidence yet. 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.
- 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: 1 on Exploit-DB
- CISA SSVC
- exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 7 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.
Exploit-DB
- Microsoft Windows MSHTML Engine - 'Edit' Remote Code Executionlocal, 13 Mar 2019
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
- 8 Jan 2019Published
- 13 Mar 2019First public exploit or proof of concept63 days (about 2 months) later
- 3 Nov 2021Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)966 days (about 3 years) later
- 3 May 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)181 days (about 6 months) later
- 7 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active1,012 days (about 3 years) later
- 21 Oct 2025CVE record last updated256 days (about 9 months) later
- 12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
| Metric | Value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Attack vector | NetworkReachable over the internet or any routable network. | Reachable over the internet or any routable network. |
| 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-2019-0541 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2019-0541 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-2019-0541?
CVE-2019-0541 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. 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-2019-0541?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2019-0541. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2019-0541 affect?
CVE-2019-0541 affects microsoft:internet_explorer, microsoft:excel_viewer, microsoft:office, microsoft:office_365_proplus, and 1 further product or version. 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
4 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.
Exploits (1)
- exploit-db.com /exploits/46536/
Other links (3)
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com /en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2019-0541
- securityfocus.com /bid/106402
- cisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-0541
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
Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.
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