CVE-2019-1157
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2019-1157 is a remote code execution vulnerability in the Windows Jet Database Engine that allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on vulnerable systems. It affects Windows systems with the vulnerable Jet Database Engine component. Attackers can exploit this by tricking users into opening specially crafted files.
💻 Affected Systems
- Windows Jet Database Engine
📦 What is this software?
Windows 10 by Microsoft
Windows 10 by Microsoft
Windows 10 by Microsoft
Windows 10 by Microsoft
Windows 10 by Microsoft
Windows 10 by Microsoft
Windows 10 by Microsoft
Windows 7 by Microsoft
Windows 8.1 by Microsoft
Windows Rt 8.1 by Microsoft
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Full system compromise with attacker gaining SYSTEM-level privileges, data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Limited user-level code execution leading to data exfiltration, credential theft, or lateral movement within the network.
If Mitigated
No impact if systems are patched and proper application whitelisting prevents execution of malicious payloads.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires user interaction (opening a malicious file). No public exploit code was available at disclosure time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Security updates released in July 2019 (e.g., KB4507453 for Windows 10 1903)
Vendor Advisory: https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2019-1157
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Apply the July 2019 Windows security updates from Windows Update. 2. For enterprise environments, deploy through WSUS or SCCM. 3. Restart systems after patch installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Jet Database Engine
windowsPrevents exploitation by disabling the vulnerable component
reg add "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Jet\4.0\Engines" /v "SandBoxMode" /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f
Application Control Policies
windowsUse Windows Defender Application Control to block untrusted Jet Database Engine files
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement application whitelisting to prevent execution of malicious files
- Educate users about the risks of opening untrusted files and attachments
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if July 2019 Windows security updates are installed via 'wmic qfe list' or 'systeminfo' commandCheck Version:
wmic qfe list | findstr KB4507453Verify Fix Applied:
Verify KB4507453 (or equivalent for your Windows version) is installed in Windows Update history📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Event Logs showing Jet Database Engine crashes or unexpected process creation
Network Indicators:
- Outbound connections from systems after opening Jet database files
SIEM Query:
EventID=1000 OR EventID=1001 Source="Application Error" AND ProcessName="msjet40.dll"