Cyber Resilience

CVE-2017-0022

Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows Server 2012 r2

CISA KEVActive ExploitationEUVD ExploitedPublic PoCMemory Safety
Published
17 March 2017
Modified
22 April 2026
KEV Added
24 May 2022
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.18 97th percentile
Risk Priority 76 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2017-0022 is a medium-severity Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer (CWE-119) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2012. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Process Injection (T1055); ranked in the top 3% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog; a public proof-of-concept is referenced.

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML) in Windows 10 Gold, 1511, and 1607; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8.1; Windows RT 8.1; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2; Windows Server 2016; and Windows Vista SP2 contains an information disclosure vulnerability. The component improperly handles objects in memory, which can be leveraged to reveal the presence of arbitrary files on disk. The issue is tracked as CWE-119 with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 reflecting network attack vector, low complexity, and high confidentiality impact.

An unauthenticated remote attacker can exploit the flaw by convincing a user to visit a specially crafted web site under the attacker's control. Successful exploitation allows the attacker to test for the existence of files on the victim's local disk without requiring additional privileges or user interaction beyond visiting the page, resulting in targeted information disclosure.

The Microsoft Security Response Center advisory for CVE-2017-0022 provides official guidance on available patches and mitigations for the listed Windows versions. A related security blog post documents the vulnerability's incorporation into exploit kit activity, confirming real-world use for file-existence probing in the wild.

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Microsoft XML Core Services (MSXML) in Windows 10 Gold, 1511, and 1607; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8.1; Windows RT 8.1; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2; Windows Server 2016; and Windows Vista SP2…

more

improperly handles objects in memory, allowing attackers to test for files on disk via a crafted web site, aka "Microsoft XML Information Disclosure Vulnerability."

CWE(s)
KEV Date Added
24 May 2022

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1055 Process Injection Stealth
Adversaries may inject code into processes in order to evade process-based defenses as well as possibly elevate privileges.
T1068 Exploitation for Privilege Escalation Privilege Escalation
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to elevate privileges.
T1190 Exploit Public-Facing Application Initial Access
Adversaries may attempt to exploit a weakness in an Internet-facing host or system to initially access a network.
T1203 Exploitation for Client Execution Execution
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in client applications to execute code.
T1210 Exploitation of Remote Services Lateral Movement
Adversaries may exploit remote services to gain unauthorized access to internal systems once inside of a network.
T1212 Exploitation for Credential Access Credential Access
Adversaries may exploit software vulnerabilities in an attempt to collect credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2015-2546Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2014-6332Same product: Microsoft Windows 7both on KEV
CVE-2021-31979Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2019-1214Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2017-0101Same product: Microsoft Windows 7both on KEV
CVE-2013-3660Same product: Microsoft Windows 7both on KEV
CVE-2015-2360Same product: Microsoft Windows 7both on KEV
CVE-2015-2426Same product: Microsoft Windows 7both on KEV
CVE-2017-0263Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV
CVE-2017-0149Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507both on KEV

Affected Assets

microsoft
xml core services
3.0
microsoft
windows 8.1
all versions
microsoft
windows server 2008
r2
microsoft
windows server 2012
all versions, r2

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)

Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)
  • V17.3.2

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-119

Ongoing control assessments and code testing (static/dynamic analysis, fuzzing) surface memory buffer restriction failures, which are then remediated before release.

addresses: CWE-119

Managed runtimes used by platform-independent applications (e.g., JVM, CLR) enforce memory safety, preventing most buffer overflows that require direct memory manipulation.

addresses: CWE-119

Memory protections (e.g., W^X, ASLR) make exploitation of buffer-boundary violations far harder to turn into code execution.

addresses: CWE-119

Detects exploitation attempts that produce memory corruption, crashes, or anomalous behavior.

Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure SDLC practices (bounds checking, safe APIs, reviews) directly prevent this class of flaw.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability scanning and code analysis directly surface buffer-boundary flaws.

ID.RA-08 partial match
prevents

Receiving and triaging vulnerability disclosures commonly includes buffer-related reports.

PR.AT-02 partial match
prevents

Developer training on secure coding reduces introduction of memory-buffer errors.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching replaces vulnerable code containing buffer-boundary defects.

Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI

Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.

finds

Security testing in development catches out-of-bounds accesses before release, covering most instances of the weakness.

prevents

Secure development lifecycle mandates memory-safety practices that directly prevent buffer-boundary violations.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify memory-safety rules, but do not prescribe implementation details.

prevents

Secure architecture and engineering principles include memory-safe design patterns that mitigate buffer overflows.

prevents

Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe buffer operations, directly eliminating CWE-119.

References