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CVE-2016-0185

Critical 🇺🇸 CISA KEV ⚡ Exploit Available

Microsoft Windows Media Center Remote Code Execution Vulnerability — Microsoft Windows Media Center contains a remote code execution vulnerability when Windows Media Center opens a specially crafted M

                    Published: Nov 3, 2021                                          ·  Source: CISA_KEV                

CVSS v3

9.0

🔗 NVD Official

📄 Description (English)

🤖 AI Executive Summary

CVE-2016-0185 is a critical remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Media Center that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code when a user opens a specially crafted Media Center link (.mcl) file. With a CVSS score of 9.0 and known exploits available, this vulnerability poses significant risk as it requires minimal user interaction — only opening a malicious .mcl file. The vulnerability was patched by Microsoft in May 2016 (MS16-059), but unpatched legacy systems remain at risk. Organizations still running Windows Vista, 7, 8, or 8.1 with Media Center should prioritize immediate patching.

📄 Description (Arabic)

🤖 AI Intelligence Analysis Analyzed: Apr 4, 2026 22:33

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia Impact Assessment

This vulnerability primarily affects organizations in Saudi Arabia still running legacy Windows systems with Media Center enabled. Government agencies under NCA oversight, educational institutions, and smaller enterprises that may not have fully migrated to Windows 10/11 are most at risk. Banking sector entities regulated by SAMA and energy sector organizations including ARAMCO contractors may have legacy workstations vulnerable to this exploit. The availability of public exploits increases the risk of targeted phishing campaigns using .mcl files against Saudi organizations. Healthcare facilities and telecom operators (STC, Mobily, Zain) with legacy infrastructure should also assess exposure.

🏢 Affected Saudi Sectors

Government Banking Healthcare Education Energy Telecommunications

⚖️ Saudi Risk Score (AI)

7.5

/ 10.0

🔧 Remediation Steps (English)

Immediate Actions:

1. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS16-059 (KB3150220) immediately on all affected Windows systems with Media Center installed.

2. Block .mcl file attachments at email gateways and web proxies.

3. Disable Windows Media Center feature if not required via 'Turn Windows features on or off' in Control Panel.



Detection Rules:

4. Monitor for .mcl file downloads and execution attempts using endpoint detection tools.

5. Create SIEM rules to detect suspicious .mcl file access patterns.

6. Deploy YARA rules for known exploit payloads targeting this vulnerability.



Compensating Controls:

7. Implement application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized code execution.

8. Restrict user permissions to prevent installation/execution of unknown applications.

9. Accelerate migration from legacy Windows versions (Vista, 7, 8/8.1) to Windows 10/11.

10. Educate users about phishing risks involving .mcl file attachments.

🔧 خطوات المعالجة (العربية)

الإجراءات الفورية:

1. تطبيق نشرة أمان مايكروسوفت MS16-059 (KB3150220) فوراً على جميع أنظمة ويندوز المتأثرة التي تحتوي على مركز الوسائط.

2. حظر مرفقات ملفات .mcl في بوابات البريد الإلكتروني وخوادم الوكيل.

3. تعطيل ميزة مركز وسائط ويندوز إذا لم تكن مطلوبة عبر 'تشغيل أو إيقاف ميزات ويندوز' في لوحة التحكم.



قواعد الكشف:

4. مراقبة تنزيل ملفات .mcl ومحاولات تنفيذها باستخدام أدوات كشف نقاط النهاية.

5. إنشاء قواعد SIEM للكشف عن أنماط الوصول المشبوهة لملفات .mcl.

6. نشر قواعد YARA للحمولات الضارة المعروفة التي تستهدف هذه الثغرة.



الضوابط التعويضية:

7. تنفيذ القوائم البيضاء للتطبيقات لمنع تنفيذ التعليمات البرمجية غير المصرح بها.

8. تقييد صلاحيات المستخدمين لمنع تثبيت أو تنفيذ التطبيقات غير المعروفة.

9. تسريع الترحيل من إصدارات ويندوز القديمة إلى ويندوز 10/11.

10. توعية المستخدمين بمخاطر التصيد المتعلقة بمرفقات ملفات .mcl.

📋 Regulatory Compliance Mapping

🟢 NCA ECC 2024

ECC-2:3-1 (Patch Management) ECC-2:3-3 (Vulnerability Management) ECC-2:5-1 (Malware Protection) ECC-2:2-1 (Asset Management)

🔵 SAMA CSF

3.3.3 (Patch Management) 3.3.5 (Vulnerability Management) 3.4.1 (Malware Protection) 3.1.3 (Asset Classification)

🟡 ISO 27001:2022

A.8.8 (Management of technical vulnerabilities) A.8.7 (Protection against malware) A.8.9 (Configuration management) A.6.3 (Information security awareness)

🟣 PCI DSS v4.0

6.3.3 (Install critical security patches within one month) 5.2 (Deploy anti-malware mechanisms) 11.3 (Penetration testing)

🔗 References & Sources 0

No references.

📦 Affected Products / CPE 1 entries

Microsoft:Windows

📊 CVSS Score

9.0

/ 10.0 — Critical

📋 Quick Facts

Severity Critical

CVSS Score9.0

EPSS82.75%

Exploit ✓ Yes

Patch ✓ Yes

CISA KEV🇺🇸 Yes

KEV Due Date2022-05-03

Published 2021-11-03

Source Feed cisa_kev

🇸🇦 Saudi Risk Score

7.5

/ 10.0 — Saudi Risk

🏷️ Tags

kev actively-exploited

⚡ Actions

🔗 NVD Official Page ⚡ Exploit-DB Search 🐙 GitHub PoC Search 🎯 MITRE ATT&CK 📊 CVE Details

CVE-2016-0185

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