Microsoft · Internet Explorer
CVE-2020-1380
Scripting Engine Memory Corruption Vulnerability
What it is
A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the scripting engine handles objects in memory in Internet Explorer. The vulnerability could corrupt memory in such a way that an attacker could execute arbitrary code in the context of the current user. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could take control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.
In a web-based attack scenario, an attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through Internet Explorer and then convince a user to view the website. An attacker could also embed an ActiveX control marked "safe for initialization" in an application or Microsoft Office document that hosts the IE rendering engine. The attacker could also take advantage of compromised websites and websites that accept or host user-provided content or advertisements. These websites could contain specially crafted content that could exploit the vulnerability.
The security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how the scripting engine handles objects in memory.
CISA: Microsoft Internet Explorer contains a memory corruption vulnerability which can allow for remote code execution in the context of the current user.
What to do
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Deadline for US federal agencies: May 3, 2022
More exploited flaws from Microsoft
| Added | Vulnerability | Product | Severity | Attack chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2026 | Use-After-Free | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 92% |
| May 20, 2026 | Use-After-Free | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 82% |
| Oct 6, 2025 | Uninitialized Memory Corruption | Internet Explorer | High 8.1 | 97% |
| Aug 12, 2025 | Resource Management Errors | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 88% |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Use-After-Free | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 79% |
| Mar 30, 2023 | Memory Corruption | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 71% |
| Jun 8, 2022 | Use-After-Free | Internet Explorer | High 8.1 | 80% |
| May 25, 2022 | Information Disclosure | Internet Explorer | Medium 6.5 | 50% |
Sources: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA, public domain), CVE records (cve.org) and EPSS (FIRST). The chance of attacks is the EPSS estimate that someone will try to exploit the flaw in the next 30 days.