User-context code execution via OLE protection bypass
Published May 14, 2024 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
A security feature bypass in Windows MSHTML allows remote attackers to execute code by convincing a user to open a malicious file. MSHTML improperly validates crafted document content, allowing it to evade the COM/OLE control protections enforced by Microsoft 365 and Office. Opening the file is required, and resulting code runs in the signed-in user's context.
Summary
What happened
A security feature bypass in Windows MSHTML allows remote attackers to execute code by convincing a user to open a malicious file. MSHTML improperly validates crafted document content, allowing it to evade the COM/OLE control protections enforced by Microsoft 365 and Office. Opening the file is required, and resulting code runs in the signed-in user's context.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-30040
- Published
- May 14, 2024
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 1507
- Classifications
- CWE-20, T1203
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 14, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.10240.0 <10.0.10240.20651
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listingknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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