CVE-2017-0037
CVE-2017-0037 is a security flaw in Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s web browser. Attackers can run their own code on Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 28 Mar 2022.[1]
Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. Microsoft has published a fix or advice.
Description
CISA calls it a type confusion in Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer. In its words: “Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer have a type confusion vulnerability in mshtml.dll, which allows remote code execution.”[1]
The CVE record adds: “Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 and 11 and Microsoft Edge have a type confusion issue in the Layout::MultiColumnBoxBuilder::HandleColumnBreakOnColumnSpanningElement function in mshtml.dll, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors involving a crafted Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) token sequence and crafted JavaScript code that operates on a TH element.”[2]
The underlying weakness is type confusion (CWE-704), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.
It scores 8.1 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]
Affected versions
NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Microsoft’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer.
Every device with Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer needs the update.
Exploitation
CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 28 Mar 2022, 1,856 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 18 Apr 2022 to fix it.[1]
FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 80%. That’s in the top 1% of the flaws it scores.[4]
CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.
CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.
Fix
Microsoft has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]
- Update Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer now.On Windows: Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates, then restart. Office updates come the same way, or from any Office app: File, Account, Update Options. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
- If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 8.1.[2] | |
| CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1] | |
| CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1] | |
| FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 80%.[4] |
See also
Other Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer flaws
- CVE-2020-0878: memory corruption ·
Other Microsoft flaws
- CVE-2026-96951, Microsoft Windows: command injection ·
- CVE-2026-65660, Microsoft SharePoint: code injection ·
- CVE-2026-85880, Microsoft Windows: heap-based buffer overflow ·
- CVE-2026-81963, Microsoft Windows: link following ·
- CVE-2019-1068, Microsoft SQL Server: remote code execution ·
Other type confusion flaws
- CVE-2017-8291, Artifex Ghostscript: type confusion ·
Added the same day
- CVE-2022-1096, Chrome and other Chromium browsers: type confusion ·
- CVE-2022-0543, Redis Debian-specific Redis Servers: debian-specific redis server lua sandbox escape ·
- CVE-2021-38646, Microsoft Office: access connectivity engine remote code execution ·
- CVE-2021-34486, Microsoft Windows: event tracing privilege escalation ·
- CVE-2021-26085, Atlassian Confluence Server: pre-authorization arbitrary file read ·
Every Microsoft flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2022
References
- ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer Type Confusion Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 28 Mar 2022.
- ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2017-0037 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 26 Feb 2017.
- ^ Microsoft. Advisories and fixes: portal.msrc.microsoft.com.
- ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.804, percentile 99.6, 31 Oct 2026.
- CVE Program. “CVE-2017-0037”. The official CVE record.
This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.