Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2016-7256
CVE-2016-7256
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Windows font library remote code execution via specially crafted embedded fonts. An attacker can achieve system control by exploiting improper font handling.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A remote code execution vulnerability in Windows font processing allows attackers to execute arbitrary code through malicious embedded fonts. The vulnerability has been exploited in the wild and carries moderate exploitability risk.
CISA KEV Yes · 2022-05-254EPSS 0.64835 (verify live)5CVSS 8.8 (CISA)3CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total3
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
3 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 0.64835 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 8.8 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/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 2022 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 a malicious document or file containing a specially designed embedded font that triggers improper handling in the Windows font library.
Business
An attacker gains remote code execution capability on affected Windows systems, enabling full system compromise and data theft.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I deliver the weaponized file to a target via email, web download, or file sharing, relying on the user to open it.
Business
The organization faces potential breach of sensitive data, operational disruption, and lateral movement risk across the network.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user who opened the malicious file, establishing persistence or deploying secondary payloads.
Business
Attackers can install backdoors, exfiltrate credentials, or deploy ransomware, resulting in significant financial and reputational damage.
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