Skip to content
EXYS
Back to the CVEs

CVE-2017-8540

7.8, high Known exploited

Microsoft Malware Protection Engine Improper Restriction of Operations Vulnerability

NVD (opens in a new tab) CVE.org (opens in a new tab) CISA KEV catalogue (opens in a new tab)
CVSS
7.8, high high CVSS v3.1
EPSS, next 30 days
72% higher than 99.4% of scored CVEs
Exploitation
Confirmed in the wild
Published
26 May 20179 years ago

Known exploited

CISA added this to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog on 3 Mar 2022. US federal agencies had to remediate by 24 Mar 2022, a deadline that has passed.

Required action. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Description

The Microsoft Malware Protection Engine running on Microsoft Forefront and Microsoft Defender on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10 Gold, 1511, 1607, and 1703, and Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Exchange Server 2013 and 2016, does not properly scan a specially crafted file leading to memory corruption. aka "Microsoft Malware Protection Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability", a different vulnerability than CVE-2017-8538 and CVE-2017-8541.

Details

Vendor
Microsoft
Product
Malware Protection Engine
Weakness
CWE-787 (opens in a new tab)
Status
Analyzed
Updated
17 Jun 2026
Assigner
secure@microsoft.com

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References 5

Exploit code 1

Patches and fixes 1

Advisories 2

Other references 1

The kind is read from NVD's tags where present and from the shape of the URL otherwise, so treat it as a hint.

Other Microsoft CVEs

Every Microsoft CVE we hold

Same vendor in what we hold, not a known link between the flaws.

  • CVE-2026-96951 Microsoft Windows Command Injection Vulnerability KEV EPSS 2% 8.8, high
  • CVE-2026-81963 Microsoft Windows Link Following Vulnerability KEV EPSS 0.4% 7.8, high
  • CVE-2026-85880 Microsoft Windows Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability KEV EPSS 4% 7.8, high
  • CVE-2026-65660 Microsoft SharePoint Code Injection Vulnerability KEV EPSS 2% 8.8, high
  • CVE-2026-68820 Microsoft Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Use-After-Free Vulnerability KEV EPSS 0.3% 7, high
  • CVE-2026-50522 Microsoft SharePoint Deserialization of Untrusted Data Vulnerability KEV EPSS 3% 9.8, critical
  • CVE-2026-56155 Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services Insufficient Granularity of Access Control Vulnerability KEV EPSS 0.3% 7.8, high
  • CVE-2026-56164 Microsoft SharePoint Server Missing Authentication for Critical Function Vulnerability KEV EPSS 1% 9.8, critical

Beyond this page

Is CVE-2017-8540 in your network?

This page tells you how dangerous CVE-2017-8540 is out there. Whether it sits on one of your devices, only a scan of your own network can tell. That is what our systems do, every day, for the companies we protect.

CVE-2017-8540 is in the CISA catalogue of exploited vulnerabilities: attackers are already exploiting it.

  • EXYS7600 OCELOT

    Find it before attackers do

    Ocelot scans your network on a schedule and reports every vulnerability it finds by its CVE identifier, with its CVSS score and how many of your hosts are affected. A finding like CVE-2017-8540 comes with the devices to patch.

    Learn more about EXYS7600 OCELOT

  • EXYS7950 KONDRA

    Detect it if it's exploited

    Until the patch is applied, Kondra monitors your network, events and endpoints in real time. It keeps an inventory of the software installed on every endpoint, and its anomaly detection rules flag what an attacker does once inside.

    Learn more about EXYS7950 KONDRA
Check your exposure

Assembled from the NVD 2.0 API, the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog and FIRST EPSS. Scores are as of our last collection on 16 Oct 2026, not the live upstream state.