How severe is CVE-2016-3298?

CVE-2016-3298 has a CVSS score of 6.5/10, rated MEDIUM. Review your exposure and patch according to your risk tolerance.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2016-3298?

Affected package information for CVE-2016-3298 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2016-3298?

No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2016-3298 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2016-3298 in my code and dependencies?

Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).

How do I mitigate CVE-2016-3298 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Assume what was exposed is already known: rotate any credential, token or key that the affected component could return, restrict the endpoint to callers that genuinely need it, and strip sensitive fields from responses and error output at the boundary rather than relying on the client not to read them.

Is CVE-2016-3298 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2016-3298, including 3 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2016-3298?

CVE-2016-3298 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 33.3%, placing it in the 98th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

Is CVE-2016-3298 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2016-3298 (Microsoft Internet Explorer Messaging API Information Disclosure Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-05-24. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-06-14. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

When was CVE-2016-3298 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2016-3298 was published on October 14, 2016 and was last updated on October 21, 2025. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🛡️

CISA KEV · ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

MEDIUM severity

CVE-2016-3298 — Microsoft

MEDIUM

CVE-2016-3298 is a medium-severity (CVSS 6.5) vulnerability. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-05-24) — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11 and the Internet Messaging API in Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 SP1 allow remote attackers to determine…

Published

Oct 14, 2016

Updated

Oct 21, 2025

Affected

4 products

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

3 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 18, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-05-24. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-06-14.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2016-3298.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

33.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs98th percentile — riskier than 98% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2016-3298 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 394,415 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Description

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11 and the Internet Messaging API in Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 SP1 allow remote attackers to determine the existence of arbitrary files via a crafted web site, aka "Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability."

Affected Products

4 products · 8 configurations

Application

internet explorermicrosoft

3 versions

91011

windows 7microsoft

all

windows server 2008microsoft

1 version

windows vistamicrosoft

all

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11 and the Internet Messaging API …

portal.msrc.microsoft.comMSDec 2016

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11 and the Internet Messaging API …

docs.microsoft.comGoogle-sheetApr 2016

Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 through 11 and the Internet Messaging API …

cisa.govCISAMay 2022

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vulnerability

Detect
Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).
Remediation status
No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2016-3298 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Assume what was exposed is already known: rotate any credential, token or key that the affected component could return, restrict the endpoint to callers that genuinely need it, and strip sensitive fields from responses and error output at the boundary rather than relying on the client not to read them.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2016-3298 in your dependencies?

Find it across , including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVE-2016-3298 — Microsoft

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Description

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2016-3298 in your dependencies?