CVE-2024-43461

FAQ

The Security Updates table indicates that this vulnerability affects all supported versions of Microsoft Windows. Why are IE Cumulative updates listed for Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2?

While Microsoft has announced retirement of the Internet Explorer 11 application on certain platforms and the Microsoft Edge Legacy application is deprecated, the underlying MSHTML, EdgeHTML, and scripting platforms are still supported. The MSHTML platform is used by Internet Explorer mode in Microsoft Edge as well as other applications through WebBrowser control. The EdgeHTML platform is used by WebView and some UWP applications. The scripting platforms are used by MSHTML and EdgeHTML but can also be used by other legacy applications. Updates to address vulnerabilities in the MSHTML platform and scripting engine are included in the IE Cumulative Updates; EdgeHTML and Chakra changes are not applicable to those platforms.

To stay fully protected, we recommend that customers who install Security Only updates install the IE Cumulative updates for this vulnerability.

Was this vulnerability exploited?

Yes. CVE-2024-43461 was exploited as a part of an attack chain relating to CVE-2024-38112, prior to July 2024. We released a fix for CVE-2024-38112 in our July 2024 security updates which broke this attack chain. See CVE-2024-38112 - Security Update Guide - Microsoft - Windows MSHTML Platform Spoofing Vulnerability. Customers should install both the July 2024 and the September 2024 security updates to fully protect themselves.

Windows 11, version 24H2 is not generally available yet. Why are there updates for this version of Windows listed in the Security Updates table?

The new Copilot+ devices that are now publicly available come with Windows 11, version 24H2 installed. Customers with these devices need to know about any vulnerabilities that affect their machine and to install the updates if they are not receiving automatic updates. Note that the general availability date for Windows 11, version 24H2 is scheduled for later this year.