CVE-2007-1206
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 Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) in the Windows Kernel in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0; 2000 SP4; XP SP2; Server 2003, 2003 SP1, and 2003 SP2; and Windows Vista before June 2006; uses insecure permissions (PAGE_READWRITE) for a physical memory view, which allows local users to gain privileges by modifying the "zero page" during a race condition before the view is unmapped.
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 · high confidenceThe Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) in the Windows Kernel uses PAGE_READWRITE permissions for a physical memory view, creating a race condition where local users can modify the 'zero page' before the view is unmapped, leading to privilege escalation.
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= gold= sp1= sp2all 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.
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Check Windows versionRun 'winver' or check system properties to identify the exact Windows version and service pack levelAffected if The system is Windows 2000 (any version), Windows 2003 Server (gold, SP1, or SP2), or Windows XP (any version)
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Verify VDM component presenceCheck for the presence of the Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) subsystem by examining running processes or kernel modules related to VDM or DOS emulationAffected if VDM subsystem is present and accessible to local users on the affected Windows versions
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Identify processes with memory manipulation accessReview running processes for applications that attempt to manipulate physical memory views or access the zero page, which could indicate exploitation attemptsAffected if Suspicious processes are observed manipulating memory views with PAGE_READWRITE permissions
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Check for privilege escalation indicatorsAudit system for unexpected privilege escalation by reviewing new administrative accounts, modified service configurations, or unauthorized scheduled tasksAffected if Evidence of unauthorized privilege escalation is found on the system
A system is affected if it runs Windows 2000, Windows 2003 Server (gold/SP1/SP2), or Windows XP, and has the VDM subsystem accessible to local users.
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 the Microsoft security update for this vulnerability. As a defense-in-depth measure, limit local access to systems and monitor for suspicious processes attempting to manipulate memory views.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-1206 — 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-2007-1206 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
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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