Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2024-38178
CVE-2024-38178
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Microsoft Windows Scripting Engine memory corruption vulnerability allows unauthenticated remote code execution via specially crafted URL. Actively exploited in the wild.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
An unauthenticated attacker can achieve remote code execution on vulnerable Windows systems through a malicious URL that triggers memory corruption in the scripting engine. Active exploitation confirms practical weaponization.
CISA KEV Yes · 2024-08-135EPSS 0.4138 (verify live)6CVSS 7.53CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total4
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
11 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 2024-08-13).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.4138 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 7.5 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C) · Affected: Microsoft, Windows. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CNA-assigned (CVE.org), version 3.1, set at disclosure.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-843 Type Confusion — weakness family: Memory safety.CWE — CNA-assigned (CVE.org); 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 the same day 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 URL containing payload data that exploits memory corruption in the Windows Scripting Engine.
Business
Attackers gain ability to execute arbitrary code on user systems without authentication, enabling widespread compromise.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I distribute the URL through email, web pages, or messaging to trick users into clicking it.
Business
Organizations face risk of mass infection across user base through low-friction social engineering vectors.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I execute arbitrary commands with the privileges of the user who clicked the link.
Business
Attackers establish persistent access, steal data, deploy malware, or pivot to internal networks depending on user privilege level.
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