Windows Shell Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

A remote code execution vulnerability exists when Windows Shell improperly handles URIs. 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 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.

An attacker could host a specially crafted website that is designed to exploit the vulnerability through Microsoft Edge, and then convince a user to view the website. The attack requires specific user interaction which an attacker would need to trick the user into performing. There is no way an attacker could exploit the vulnerability without the user performing the specific action.

The security update addresses the vulnerability by modifying how Windows Shell handles URIs.