CVE-2018-8172

A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Visual Studio software when the software does not check the source markup of a file for an unbuilt project, aka "Visual Studio Remote Code Execution Vulnerability." This affects Microsoft Visual Studio, Expression Blend 4.

Published: 2018-07-11 Last update: 2024-11-21 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2018-8172 is rated Moderate Risk (62.6/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 14.48%, 95th percentile). EPSS ranks this CVE among the most likely to be exploited in the near term. High exploitation likelihood—assess exposure and prioritize remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2018-8172

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-06-13 16.20% 14.48% -1.71%
2 2026-05-07 16.08% 16.20% +0.11%
3 2026-04-18 — 16.08% —

Full EPSS history (43 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2018-8172

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:R)
A real person has to do something—click, install, enable—otherwise it doesn’t land.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 1.8 5.9 [email protected]
9.3 2.0 HIGH
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
 8.6 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2018-8172

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2018-8172

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
microsoft expression_blend 2 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:expression_blend:2:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft expression_blend 3 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:expression_blend:3:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft expression_blend 4 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:expression_blend:4:sp3:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft visual_studio 2010 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio:2010:sp1:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft visual_studio 2012 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio:2012:update_5:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft visual_studio 2013 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio:2013:update_5:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft visual_studio 2015 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio:2015:update3:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft visual_studio_2017 — cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio_2017:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft visual_studio_2017 15.7.5 cpe:2.3:a:microsoft:visual_studio_2017:15.7.5:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2018-8172

URL Tags
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104616 Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1041253 Broken Link Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8172 Patch Vendor Advisory
cvelogic Threat Intelligence