Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2016-3393
CVE-2016-3393
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
A remote code execution vulnerability in Windows GDI component allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by exploiting improper object handling in memory.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
This vulnerability enables unauthenticated remote attackers to achieve system compromise through crafted input targeting the GDI subsystem. Active exploitation in the wild confirms practical threat.
CISA KEV Yes · 2022-05-254EPSS 0.68684 (verify live)5CVSS 7.8 (CISA)3CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total3
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
4 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-05-25).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.68684 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 7.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H) · Affected: Microsoft, Windows. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CISA-assigned via the ADP container (CVE.org), version 3.1; the CNA left no metrics, so CISA's own score is used ahead of NVD.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-284 Improper Access Control — weakness family: Authorization / access control.CWE assignment from the public NVD record (may be stale); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog 2049 days after the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft malicious input designed to trigger improper memory handling in the Windows GDI component.
Business
Systems remain exposed to remote compromise without user interaction or authentication requirements.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I deliver the exploit payload through network vectors targeting vulnerable GDI processing routines.
Business
Attack surface spans all Windows systems with GDI enabled, creating enterprise-wide risk.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the affected process once memory corruption succeeds.
Business
Attackers gain operational control sufficient for data exfiltration, lateral movement, or persistent access.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05