CVE-2007-1973
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 · uneditedRace condition in the Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) in the Windows Kernel in Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 allows local users to modify memory and gain privileges via the temporary \Device\PhysicalMemory section handle, a related issue to CVE-2007-1206.
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 confidenceRace condition in the Virtual DOS Machine (VDM) in Windows NT 4.0 kernel allows local users to gain privileges by exploiting the temporary \Device\PhysicalMemory section handle to modify kernel memory, enabling 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 data= 4.0CVSS 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
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:M/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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Confirm Windows NT versionRun 'winver' or check System Properties to identify the exact Windows version. On Windows NT 4.0, the build number is typically 1381 or later service packs.Affected if The installed version is Windows NT 4.0 (any service pack). Other Windows versions (2000, XP, 2003, etc.) are not affected by this specific CVE.
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Verify VDM subsystem presenceCheck for the presence of the Virtual DOS Machine subsystem by examining if NTVDM.EXE or related VDM components exist in the system32 directory. On NT 4.0, this is typically found at %SystemRoot%\system32\ntvdm.exe.Affected if The VDM subsystem is installed and available on the system. The vulnerability requires the VDM feature to be present.
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Assess local access requirementsDetermine if non-administrative local user accounts exist or could be created. This vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges to kernel level.Affected if Local unprivileged user accounts exist or can be created on the system. The exploit requires a local user context to trigger the race condition.
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Check for PhysicalMemory section handle exposureExamine if the \Device\PhysicalMemory section object is accessible. This requires low-level kernel debugging tools or checking ACLs on the physical memory object.Affected if The \Device\PhysicalMemory object is accessible to user-mode processes, allowing the race condition to be exploited.
The system is affected only if it is running Windows NT 4.0 with the VDM subsystem present and local user access is available to attempt the privilege escalation.
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 dataWindows NT 4.0 is end-of-life and unlikely to receive patches; migrate to a supported Windows version. Minimize local privileged access and monitor for indicators of compromise on legacy systems.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-1973 — 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-2007-1973 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