dbcve.org
Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2009-0230

HIGH · 9.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-06-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable Zero-click

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 · unedited
The Windows Print Spooler in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP2, Vista Gold, SP1, and SP2, and Server 2008 SP2 allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via a crafted RPC message that triggers loading of a DLL file from an arbitrary directory, aka "Print Spooler Load Library Vulnerability."

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 confidence

DLL hijacking vulnerability in Windows Print Spooler allows authenticated remote attackers to load arbitrary DLL files via crafted RPC messages, achieving privilege escalation. The Print Spooler service does not validate the path when loading DLLs, enabling attackers with network access and valid credentials to execute code at elevated privileges.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2009-0230. For end-of-life systems (Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), disable the Print Spooler service if not required or implement network segmentation to limit RPC exposure.

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
Windows 2000Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows ServerOperating system
Affected:= 2008
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows XpOperating system
Affected:all versions

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/Au:S/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to confirm the Windows version. Look for Windows 2000, XP, 2003 Server, Vista, or Server 2008.
    Affected if The installed Windows version is Windows 2000, XP, 2003 Server, Vista, or Server 2008 (any version). These are the affected products.
  2. Verify Print Spooler service status
    Open Services console (services.msc) or run 'sc query spooler' to check if the Print Spooler service (service name: Spooler) is running or set to start.
    Affected if The Print Spooler service is running or enabled. The vulnerability only applies when this service is active.
  3. Check for security update KB961501
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or check Add/Remove Programs for installed updates. Look for security update KB961501 which addresses CVE-2009-0230.
    Affected if The security update KB961501 is NOT installed. Without this patch, the DLL hijacking vulnerability remains unpatched.
  4. Confirm RPC exposure (optional diagnostic)
    Check if RPC endpoints are exposed to untrusted networks. Run 'netsh rpc show' to view RPC interface bindings, or review firewall rules for Print Spooler RPC ports (TCP 445, 139).
    Affected if The Print Spooler RPC interface is accessible from untrusted network segments. Combined with valid credentials, this enables remote exploitation.

You are affected if your system runs an unpatched Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/2008 version AND the Print Spooler service is enabled, and security update KB961501 has not been installed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2009-0230. For end-of-life systems (Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista), disable the Print Spooler service if not required or implement network segmentation to limit RPC exposure.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, or later (these versions include the fix for MS09-022)

  1. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS09-022, which addresses this vulnerability in the Windows Print Spooler.
  2. Verify the patch installation through Windows Update or your organization's patch management system.
  3. Alternatively, upgrade to a Windows version beyond those listed as affected (e.g., Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 or later) which includes the security fix.
Caveat When upgrading Windows versions, verify application compatibility and review migration guides as there may be feature changes or removal of legacy functionality.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 2000 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2009-0230 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • 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