NVD / CVE Program· CNA mitre

CVE-2013-2551: Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 10 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web…

HighCVSS 8.8 · v3.1KEVWeaponized No fix recorded

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Now (action score 87/100)

CISA has confirmed exploitation in the wild (Mar 28, 2022); it is known to be used in ransomware campaigns. Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: Apr 18, 2022.
A ready-made attack module is public (Metasploit); exploiting it takes no special expertise.
Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 74% (FIRST EPSS); higher than 99.4% of all records.
Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it. No account or password is required. A user must open a link or visit a page. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
According to the record, no fixed version is available yet.

Patch today or shut off access. Until a fix is released, restrict access to the affected component and follow the vendor's advisory.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · CISA KEV · FIRST EPSS

Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 10 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web site that triggers access to a deleted object, as demonstrated by VUPEN during a Pwn2Own competition at CanSecWest 2013, aka "Internet Explorer Use After Free Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2013-1308 and CVE-2013-1309.

Published: Mar 11, 2013
Updated: Jun 16, 2026
EPSS: 74.0% · 99th percentile
CWE: CWE-416

Report tools

JSON

Action score

Now

Patch today or shut off access.

CVSS: 35 / 40 · 8.8 / 10
CISA KEV: 30 / 30 · Listed
EPSS: 22 / 30 · 74.0%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation: active
Automatable: no
Technical impact: total

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Actively exploited in the wild

CISA added this to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Mar 28, 2022. That signals real attacks, not theory.

Remediation deadline for US federal agencies: Apr 18, 2022.

Known to be used in ransomware campaigns.

Get told when this record changes

In CISA KEV: exploitation in the wild confirmed
Weaponized exploit exists
No fixed version yet

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

Vendor	Product	CPE
microsoft	internet explorer	cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:internet_explorer
microsoft	windows server 2003	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2003
microsoft	windows xp	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_xp
microsoft	windows server 2008	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008
microsoft	windows vista	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_vista
microsoft	windows 7	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_7
microsoft	windows 8	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_8
microsoft	windows rt	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_rt
microsoft	windows server 2012	cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2012

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

microsoft internet explorer10
microsoft internet explorer6
microsoft internet explorer7
microsoft internet explorer8
microsoft internet explorer9

Same product

microsoft: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

CVE-2014-1776Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 11 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a…KEV
94Now
CVE-2010-0249Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 6 SP1, 7, and 8 on Windows 2000 SP4; Windows XP SP2 and SP3; Windows Server…KEV
93Now
CVE-2014-0322Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 and 10 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors…KEV
91Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

← EarlierCVE-2013-0029Feb 13, 2013 · Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 9 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web…
39Monitor
← EarlierCVE-2013-0030Feb 13, 2013 · The Vector Markup Language (VML) implementation in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 10 does not properly allocate buffers, which…
45Plan
Later →CVE-2013-2552Mar 11, 2013 · Unspecified vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8 allows remote attackers to bypass the sandbox protection mechanism…
34Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

No fix version is recorded for this entry. Check the references for vendor advisories.

Exploit status

Weaponized

A ready exploit tool or active in-the-wild use is known for this vulnerability. This should be your top priority.

Evidence

Metasploit module ×1
Exploit-DB entry ×1

Noroxi does not host or link to exploit code. Metasploit module names and Nuclei template ids are shown (names, not code); Exploit-DB entries and PoC repositories are given as counts only.

Public exploit evidence
Source	Kind	Date
Exploit-DB entry	remote	2013-06-13
Metasploit module	exploit/windows/browser/ms13_037_svg_dashstyleMS13-037 Microsoft Internet Explorer COALineDashStyleArray Integer Overflowexploit	2013-03-06

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

MetasploitMar 6, 2013-5 d
PublishedMar 11, 2013
First PoCJun 13, 2013+94 d
CISA KEVMar 28, 2022+3304 d
TodayNov 14, 2026+4996 d

Not on record for this CVE: EPSS history · patch commit or PR link · researcher credit · variant or chain candidate · public bounty program.

Technical details

Attack conditions

Anyone who can reach it over the internet can trigger it.
No account or password is required.
A user must open a link or visit a page.
No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality: high · data can be read
Integrity: high · data or configuration can be modified
Availability: high · the service can be disrupted

Attack vector: Network
Attack complexity: Low
Privileges required: None
User interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality impact: High
Integrity impact: High
Availability impact: High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-416 · Use After Free

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

nvd-primary

Root cause

After a memory region is freed, another reference pointing to it is still used. By then, the same region may have been allocated for different data.

The bug in code

The whole CWE-416 class

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

Vulnerable

1free(dev->buf);
2/* ... another thread is still running ... */
3process(dev->buf);

Fixed

1lock(&dev->lock);
2free(dev->buf);
3dev->buf = NULL;
4unlock(&dev->lock);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log (0)

No changes recorded on tracked fields yet. Score, KEV, exploit maturity and fix status changes appear here.

References

h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/HP-Security-Research-Blog/Pwn2Own-2013/ba-p/5981157

Show all references (6 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records