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Windows 2000Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2010-0252

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-02-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges 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 Microsoft Data Analyzer ActiveX control (aka the Office Excel ActiveX control for Data Analysis) in max3activex.dll in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista Gold, SP1, and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2, and R2, and Windows 7 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted web page that corrupts the "system state," aka "Microsoft Data Analyzer ActiveX Control 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

CVE-2010-0252 is a remote code execution vulnerability in the Microsoft Data Analyzer ActiveX control (max3activex.dll). Attackers can execute arbitrary code by tricking users into visiting crafted web pages that corrupt system state through the vulnerable ActiveX control.

MitigationDisable the Microsoft Data Analyzer ActiveX control in Internet Explorer or implement the Microsoft kill bit to prevent the control from loading. Alternatively, restrict ActiveX execution through browser or group policy settings.

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 XpOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows 7Operating 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
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Locate the vulnerable ActiveX control file
    Search for max3activex.dll on the system. Common locations include the Microsoft Data Analyzer installation directory and Windows system folders. Use file search or check known installation paths.
    Affected if The file max3activex.dll exists on the system, indicating the ActiveX control is installed.
  2. Verify if the control is registered in Internet Explorer
    Check Windows registry for the Data Analyzer ActiveX control registration. Look under typical ActiveX registry keys (such as HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\) for entries associated with the Data Analyzer control and its CLSID.
    Affected if The control is registered as an ActiveX component in the registry, meaning it can be instantiated by web pages.
  3. Confirm the kill bit has not been set
    Examine the registry for the kill bit setting for this specific ActiveX control. The kill bit is a registry value that prevents the control from loading. If the control's CLSID shows the kill bit is NOT set, the control is vulnerable.
    Affected if The kill bit is not set for the Data Analyzer ActiveX control, leaving it exploitable.
  4. Check if the control is enabled in Internet Explorer add-ons
    Open Internet Explorer, go to Manage Add-ons, and look for the Microsoft Data Analyzer ActiveX control in the list of enabled or disabled add-ons. Note whether it is set to Enabled or Disabled.
    Affected if The Microsoft Data Analyzer ActiveX control is listed as Enabled in Internet Explorer.

A user is affected if the max3activex.dll file exists on the system, the control is registered as an ActiveX component, the kill bit is not set, and the control is enabled in Internet Explorer.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable the Microsoft Data Analyzer ActiveX control in Internet Explorer or implement the Microsoft kill bit to prevent the control from loading. Alternatively, restrict ActiveX execution through browser or group policy settings.

Fix this in Windows 2000 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
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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-2010-0252 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
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