CVE-2017-0059

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws; for Microsoft’s, see Microsoft flaws being used in attacks.

CVE-2017-0059 is a security flaw in Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft’s old web browser, still built into Windows. Attackers can read information from Microsoft Internet Explorer that should be private. 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 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 an information disclosure in Microsoft Internet Explorer. In its words: “Microsoft Internet Explorer allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via a crafted web site.”[1]

The CVE record adds: “Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11 allow remote attackers to obtain sensitive information from process memory via a crafted web site, aka "Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability." This vulnerability is different from those described in CVE-2017-0008 and CVE-2017-0009.”[2]

The underlying weakness is information exposure (CWE-200), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.

It scores 4.3 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it medium, 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 Internet Explorer.

Every device with Microsoft Internet Explorer needs the update.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 28 Mar 2022, 1,837 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 62%. 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]

  1. Update Microsoft Internet Explorer now.Install the latest update from Microsoft on every device that has it, and restart when asked. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
  2. 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

DateEvent
The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 4.3.[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 62%.[4]

See also

Other Microsoft Internet Explorer flaws

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 information exposure flaws

  • CVE-2025-68686, Fortinet FortiOS: exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor ·
  • CVE-2026-20133, Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager: exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor ·
  • CVE-2025-31125, Vitejs: improper access control ·
  • CVE-2021-41277, Metabase: geoJSON API local file inclusion ·
  • CVE-2024-24919, Check Point Quantum Security Gateways: information disclosure ·

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

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Microsoft Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 28 Mar 2022.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2017-0059 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 17 Mar 2017.
  3. ^ Microsoft. Advisories and fixes: portal.msrc.microsoft.com.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.620, percentile 99.2, 31 Oct 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2017-0059”. 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.