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 version has been published for CVE-2016-3298 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates, apply mitigations recommended by the vendor, and use O3 Security to track when a fix becomes available in your stack.

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 28.3%, placing it in the 97th 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.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2016-3298?

CVE-2016-3298 affects microsoft internet explorer (3 versions, e.g. 9, 10, 11); microsoft windows 7; microsoft windows server 2008 (1 version, e.g. r2); microsoft windows vista. Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

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 April 22, 2026. 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·Added 2022-05-24 — agencies required to remediate by 2022-06-14

CVE-2016-3298

MEDIUM

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

Apr 22, 2026

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

3 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

28.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk97th percentile0.00%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2016-3298 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2016-3298 across dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

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