CVE-2019-0541 — Microsoft MSHTML Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the MSHTML engine inproperly validates input, aka "MSHTML Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability." This affects Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Word Viewer, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 11, Mi

01What is this vulnerability?

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the MSHTML engine inproperly validates input, aka "MSHTML Engine Remote Code Execution Vulnerability." This affects Microsoft Office, Microsoft Office Word Viewer, Internet Explorer 9, Internet Explorer 11, Microsoft Excel Viewer, Internet Explorer 10, Office 365 ProPlus.

02Affected products

Vendor	Product	Versions
Microsoft	Microsoft Office	2010 Service Pack 2 (32-bit editions), 2010 Service Pack 2 (64-bit editions), 2013 RT Service Pack 1, 2013 Service Pack 1 (32-bit editions), 2013 Service Pack 1 (64-bit editions), 2016 (32-bit edition), 2016 (64-bit edition), 2019 for 32-bit editions, 2019 for 64-bit editions
Microsoft	Microsoft Office Word Viewer	Microsoft Office Word Viewer
Microsoft	Internet Explorer 9	Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2, Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2
Microsoft	Internet Explorer 11	Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 10 for x64-based Systems, Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems, Windows 10 Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 10 Version 1703 for x64-based Systems, Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems, Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems, Windows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems, Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems, Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems, Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems, Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems, Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1, Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1, Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems, Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019
Microsoft	Microsoft Excel Viewer	2007 Service Pack 3
Microsoft	Internet Explorer 10	Windows Server 2012
Microsoft	Office	365 ProPlus for 32-bit Systems, 365 ProPlus for 64-bit Systems

03Active exploitation status

Yes — actively exploited. Added to the CISA KEV catalog on 2021-11-03. Ransomware use: Unknown.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Open the Sigma generator with a pre-filled prompt for this CVE to draft a starting detection in your stack of choice:

Open in Sigma generator →

07Related CVEs

No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.

08Timeline

• Published: 2019-01-08T21:00:00.000Z
• Last modified: 2025-10-21T23:45:44.790Z
• Added to CISA KEV: 2021-11-03
• BOD 22-01 due: 2022-05-03

09References

• portal.msrc.microsoft.com — https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2019-0541
• www.exploit-db.com — https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46536/
• www.securityfocus.com — http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106402