What is CVE-2016-0185?

CVE-2016-0185 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 7. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-05-11.

How severe is CVE-2016-0185?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Is CVE-2016-0185 known to be exploited?

Yes. CVE-2016-0185 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), indicating it is being actively exploited. 3 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.

Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 7

CVE-2016-0185

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."

Published 2016-05-11 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.698 (99.4th percentile), scored 2026-10-17.

High probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — patch promptly. 99th percentile — 99.4% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.698 · newest: 0.698 · change: 0.000

Affected products

CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on 2021-11-03. CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.

BOD 22-01 due date: 2022-05-03.

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2016/ms16-059 (vendor-advisory, Patch, Vendor Advisory)
www.securityfocus.com/bid/90023 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry, Broken Link)
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39805/ (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, exploit)
www.securitytracker.com/id/1035832 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry, Broken Link)
www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-16-277 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory)
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-0185?: CVE-2016-0185 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 7. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-05-11.
How severe is CVE-2016-0185?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2016-0185 known to be exploited?: Yes. CVE-2016-0185 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2021-11-03), indicating it is being actively exploited. 3 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.