CVE-2005-0061
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedThe kernel of Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP SP1 and SP2, and Windows Server 2003 allows local users to gain privileges via certain access requests.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · moderate confidenceWindows kernel vulnerability allowing local users to elevate privileges through unspecified access requests. This is a local privilege escalation flaw in the Windows kernel affecting Windows 2000, Windows XP SP1/SP2, and Windows Server 2003.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE dataall versions= enterprise= enterprise_64-bit= r2= standard= weball versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- Low
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Identify the Windows operating system versionRun 'winmsd' or 'systeminfo' from command prompt, or check the System Properties window (Win+Pause). Look for OS Name and Version fields.Affected if The operating system is Windows 2000 (any version), Windows XP (any version), Windows Server 2003 (any edition), Windows 98, Windows 98se, or Windows Me.
-
Check the installed Windows build numberRun 'systeminfo' and locate the 'OS Version' line, or run 'winver' command. Note the build number (e.g., 2195 for Win2000, 2600 for XP).Affected if The build number matches an unpatched version of the affected operating systems listed above.
-
Verify if security update MS05-011 is installedOpen Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, check 'Show updates' box, and look for 'Security Update for Windows (KB885835)'. Alternatively, run 'systeminfo' and look for Hotfix(s) in the output.Affected if The security update MS05-011 (KB885835) is NOT listed among installed updates.
-
Query the registry for the patch statusOpen Registry Editor (regedit), navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Updates\Windows, and check if KB885835 entry exists under the relevant service pack branch.Affected if The registry does not contain an entry for KB885835 under the Windows updates key.
The system is affected if it runs any unpatched version of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows 98, Windows 98se, or Windows Me, and does not have security update MS05-011 installed.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability; upgrade unsupported operating systems (Windows 2000, Windows XP) to supported versions.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2005-0061 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2005-0061 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data