Remote Code Execution Vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer Scripting Engine (CVE‑2020‑0674)
What It Is — Microsoft Internet Explorer’s Scripting Engine mishandles objects in memory, creating a memory‑corruption flaw that can be triggered remotely. Successful exploitation yields arbitrary code execution in the context of the currently logged‑in user.
Exploitability — Public exploits have been observed; the vulnerability carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High).
Affected Products — Microsoft Internet Explorer (all supported versions prior to the security update released March 2020).
Why It Matters for Trust & Control Assurance
- Demonstrates the need for a patch‑management control that can be continuously verified and reported to auditors.
- Provides a concrete example of why evidence of timely remediation must be captured in a trusted audit trail.
- Highlights the importance of continuous monitoring of endpoint configurations to ensure vulnerable browsers are either updated or removed from the environment.
Recommended Actions
- Deploy Microsoft’s security update for CVE‑2020‑0674 on all affected endpoints immediately.
- Verify remediation through automated patch‑compliance scans and retain evidence in a central control repository.
- Update your asset inventory to flag Internet Explorer installations and enforce a policy to retire legacy browsers.
- Enable exploit‑mitigation features (e.g., DEP, ASLR) on all Windows workstations.
- Monitor endpoint logs for anomalous script‑engine activity and correlate with threat‑intel feeds.
Source: CISA KEV – CVE‑2020‑0674