CVE-2016-0185

HIGHNVD 7.89.0▲Trending — 5 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild

7.8

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."

CVSS v3: 7.8
EG Score: 9.0(high)
EPSS: 99.1%
KEV: ⚠ Exploited

Published

May 11, 2016

Last Modified

April 22, 2026

Advisory Details (5)

Auto-updated May 19, 2026

🔬 Proof of concept available. No patch confirmed yet.

generic🟡 PoC Available

Microsoft Windows Media Center - '.MCL' File Processing Remote Code Execution (MS16-059) - Windows remote Exploit

https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/39805/

generic

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-059 - Important | Microsoft Learn

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2016/ms16-059

generic

ZDI-16-277 | Zero Day Initiative

http://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-16-277

generic

http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1035832

generic

http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/90023

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

CWE-20Improper Input Validation

All Vendor Advisories

(1)

Every vendor that published an advisory referencing this CVE — pulled from our cve_vendor_advisories aggregation. Click any row for the vendor's original advisory page.

Microsoft MSRCCVE-2016-01852016-05-10
Windows Media Center Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 20× in last 7d / 20× in last 30d)

Every time one of our enrichment pipelines (NVD, MITRE cvelistV5, EPSS, CISA KEV, GHSA, OSV, vendor advisories) ran against this CVE. Most recent first.

2026-06-08 01:38 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-08 01:38 UTCVendor advisory
2026-06-08 01:38 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 21:31 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 21:31 UTCVendor advisory
2026-06-07 21:31 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 17:25 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 17:25 UTCVendor advisory
2026-06-07 17:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 15:22 UTCepss_batch
2026-06-07 13:18 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 13:18 UTCVendor advisory
2026-06-07 13:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 09:11 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 09:11 UTCVendor advisory
2026-06-07 09:11 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 05:04 UTCEG score recompute
2026-06-07 05:04 UTCVendor advisory
2026-06-07 05:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
2026-06-07 00:58 UTCEG score recompute

Publicly available exploits

(1 reference)

Working exploit code is in the public domain (1 Exploit-DB entry). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly — public PoCs typically lead to mass-exploitation within 24-72 hours.

Exploit-DBEDB-39805✓ verified
First seen May 12, 2016
Microsoft Windows Media Center - '.MCL' File Processing Remote Code Execution (MS16-059)
Open source ↗

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2016-0185?

CVE-2016-0185 is a high vulnerability published on May 11, 2016. 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."

When was CVE-2016-0185 disclosed?

CVE-2016-0185 was first published in the National Vulnerability Database on May 11, 2016, with the most recent update on April 22, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.

Is CVE-2016-0185 actively exploited?

Yes. CISA added CVE-2016-0185 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on November 3, 2021, affecting Microsoft Windows. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate patching attention.

What is the CVSS score of CVE-2016-0185?

CVE-2016-0185 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.8 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 9.0.

Which products are affected by CVE-2016-0185?

CVE-2016-0185 affects Microsoft Windows. The full affected-products list, including version ranges and fixed versions, is shown in the Affected Packages section of this page.

How do I remediate CVE-2016-0185?

Patch to the fixed version published by the affected vendor. Where vendor advisories exist for CVE-2016-0185, EchelonGraph cross-links them in the Vendor Advisories panel below — those typically contain the canonical remediation steps, fixed version numbers, and any vendor-specific mitigations.

Dependency Blast Radius

See which npm, PyPI, Go, and Maven packages are affected by CVE-2016-0185

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CVE-2016-0185

Published

Last Modified

Advisory Details (5)

Microsoft Windows Media Center - '.MCL' File Processing Remote Code Execution (MS16-059) - Windows remote Exploit

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-059 - Important | Microsoft Learn

ZDI-16-277 | Zero Day Initiative

Weakness Classification(1)

All Vendor Advisories

Data Freshness Timeline

Publicly available exploits

Frequently asked(6)

Dependency Blast Radius

Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2016-0185?

Same vendor

Same CWE

CVE-2016-0185

📅 Published

🔄 Last Modified

📋 Advisory Details (5)

Microsoft Windows Media Center - '.MCL' File Processing Remote Code Execution (MS16-059) - Windows remote Exploit

Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-059 - Important | Microsoft Learn

ZDI-16-277 | Zero Day Initiative

Weakness Classification(1)

All Vendor Advisories

Data Freshness Timeline

Publicly available exploits

❓ Frequently asked(6)

Dependency Blast Radius

Is Your Infrastructure Affected by CVE-2016-0185?

🔗 Related CVEs(same vendor + same CWE)

Same vendor

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Published

Last Modified

Advisory Details (5)

Frequently asked(6)

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