A vulnerability exists in Windows Media Center that could allow remote code execution if Windows Media Center opens a specially crafted Media Center link (.mcl) file that references malicious code. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take control of an affected system. Customers whose accounts are configured to have fewer user rights on the system could be less impacted than users who operate with administrative user rights. Workstations are primarily at risk of this vulnerability.
To exploit the vulnerability, user interaction is required. In a web-browsing scenario, a user would have to navigate to a compromised website that an attacker is using to host a malicious .mcl file. In an email attack scenario, an attacker would have to convince a user who is logged on to a vulnerable workstation to click a specially crafted link in an email.
The security update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Windows Media Center handles certain resources in the .mcl file.
## Where it's fixed | Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released | |---|---|---|---|---| | Microsoft | Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1 | | [KB3150220](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3150220.md) | May 10, 2016 | | Microsoft | Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 | | [KB3150220](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3150220.md) | May 10, 2016 | | Microsoft | Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems | | [KB3150220](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3150220.md) | May 10, 2016 | | Microsoft | Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems | | [KB3150220](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3150220.md) | May 10, 2016 | | Microsoft | Windows Vista Service Pack 2 | | [KB3150220](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3150220.md) | May 10, 2016 | | Microsoft | Windows Vista x64 Edition Service Pack 2 | | [KB3150220](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/microsoft/kb3150220.md) | May 10, 2016 | --- Data as of 2026-11-07T18:46:35Z UTC. Source: Patchblox Patch Radar (https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar). Patchblox finds out-of-date software on Windows, macOS and Linux and updates it through release rings: https://patchblox.com/demo Free to use with attribution: show "Data: Patchblox Patch Radar" with a link to https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar. Terms, including what needs a written agreement: https://patchblox.com/security/patch-radar/use-the-data Product names, logos and trademarks shown on Patch Radar belong to their respective owners. They are used only to identify the software each security fix applies to and to help readers find their platform. Their use does not imply any affiliation with, or endorsement by, those owners, and Patchblox is not affiliated with any of them.