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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2017-8540

Microsoft Malware Protection Engine Improper Restriction of Operations Vulnerability

Published May 26, 2017 · catalog updated Jun 16, 2026 · Microsoft Malware Protection Engine

Patch now

CVE-2017-8540 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Mar 24, 2022. Confirm Microsoft Malware Protection Engine against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Gaps on this record

  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
Severity
High7.8
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
71.87%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe microsoft/endpoint protection · cpe microsoft/exchange server · cpe microsoft/forefront endpoint protection · cpe microsoft/forefront security · cpe microsoft/intune endpoint protection · cpe microsoft/malware protection engine

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.

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe microsoft/endpoint protectionversion unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/exchange server2013
  • cpe microsoft/exchange server2016
  • cpe microsoft/forefront endpoint protection2010
  • cpe microsoft/forefront securityversion unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/intune endpoint protectionversion unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/malware protection engineversion unspecified
  • vendor Microsoft Malware Protection Engineversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2017-8540

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2017-8540 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due Mar 24, 2022. Confirm Microsoft Malware Protection Engine against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with microsoft/exchange server 2013; microsoft/exchange server 2016; microsoft/forefront endpoint protection 2010. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-119: Buffer Overflow; CWE-787: Out-of-bounds Write. EPSS 71.87%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. A public exploit reference is linked in Sources. That is not the same as confirmed exploitation. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. May 26, 2017 · Catalog

    Detected

    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 corruptio

  2. Mar 3, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  3. Mar 24, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  4. Jun 16, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    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 corruptio

Sources

  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2017-8540

    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 corruptio

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2017-8540

    Official CVE identifier

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2017-8540

    30-day exploitation probability 71.9%

    first.org
  • Exploit DatabasePublic exploit reference42088

    Public archive entry. The exploit body is not stored here.

    exploit-db.com
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2017-8540

    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 20

    nvd.nist.gov
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2017-8540

    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 20

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.