CVE-2016-0185

Summary

CVE	CVE-2016-0185
State	PUBLISHED
Assigner	microsoft
Source Priority	CVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published	2016-05-11 01:59:26 UTC
Updated	2026-04-22 16:31:57 UTC
Description	Media Center in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 SP1, and Windows 8.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted Media Center link (aka .mcl) file, aka "Windows Media Center Remote Code Execution Vulnerability."

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 7.8 HIGH from [email protected]

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

EPSS: 0.699400000 probability, percentile 0.993040000 (date 2026-07-22)

CISA KEV: Listed on 2021-11-03; due 2022-05-03; ransomware use Unknown

Problem Types: NVD-CWE-noinfo | n/a | CWE-noinfo Not enough information

Version	Source	Type	Score	Severity	Vector
3.1	[email protected]	Primary	7.8	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`
3.1	ADP	DECLARED	7.8	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`
3.1	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0	Secondary	7.8	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`
2.0	[email protected]	Primary	9.3		`AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

None

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

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

CVSS v2.0 Breakdown

Access Vector

Network

Access Complexity

Medium

Authentication

None

Confidentiality

Complete

Integrity

Complete

Availability

Complete

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

Vendor	Microsoft
Product	Windows
Name	Microsoft Windows Media Center Remote Code Execution Vulnerability
Required Action	Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Notes	https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2016-0185

NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)

Type	Vendor	Product	Version	Update	Edition	Language
Operating System	Microsoft	Windows 7	-	sp1	All	All
Operating System	Microsoft	Windows 8.1	-	All	All	All
Operating System	Microsoft	Windows Vista	-	sp2	All	All

Vendor Declared Affected Products

Source	Vendor	Product	Version	Platforms
CNA	Na	N/a	affected n/a	Not specified

References

Reference	Source	Link	Tags
www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0	www.cisa.gov	US Government Resource
Windows Media Center '.mcl' Link File Processing Flaw Lets Remote Users Execute Arbitrary Code - SecurityTracker	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	www.securitytracker.com	Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
ZDI-16-277 \| Zero Day Initiative	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	www.zerodayinitiative.com	Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
Microsoft Windows Media Center - '.MCL' File Processing Remote Code Execution (MS16-059) - Windows remote Exploit	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	www.exploit-db.com	Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
Microsoft Windows Media Center CVE-2016-0185 Remote Code Execution Vulnerability	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	www.securityfocus.com	Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-059 - Important \| Microsoft Docs	af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108	docs.microsoft.com	Patch, Vendor Advisory
CVE Program record	CVE.ORG	www.cve.org	canonical
NVD vulnerability detail	NVD	nvd.nist.gov	canonical, analysis
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog	CISA	www.cisa.gov	kev

No vendor comments have been submitted for this CVE.

Additional Advisory Data

Source	Time	Event
ADP	2021-11-03T00:00:00.000Z	CVE-2016-0185 added to CISA KEV

There are currently no legacy QID mappings associated with this CVE.