dbcve.org
Windows 7Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2010-0476

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-04-14
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 SMB client in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista Gold, SP1, and SP2, and Windows Server 2008 Gold and SP2 allows remote SMB servers and man-in-the-middle attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption and reboot) via a crafted SMB transaction response that uses (1) SMBv1 or (2) SMBv2, aka "SMB Client Response Parsing 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

The SMB client in Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista (Gold/SP1/SP2), and Windows Server 2008 (Gold/SP2) contains a memory corruption vulnerability in SMB transaction response parsing. Remote attackers can send crafted SMBv1 or SMBv2 responses to trigger heap or stack corruption, enabling arbitrary code execution or causing system reboot (denial of service).

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS10-020) to affected Windows systems. At the network layer, filter SMB traffic (ports 139/445) at perimeter firewalls and use IPsec or VPN tunnels for legitimate SMB communications to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.

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 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows VistaOperating 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
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or check system properties to determine the exact Windows version and Service Pack level
    Affected if The system is Windows Vista (any SP), Windows Server 2003 (any SP), Windows Server 2008 (any SP), or Windows 7 (any version)
  2. Verify SMB client is enabled
    Check if the 'Workstation' service (which provides SMB client functionality) is running: run 'sc query workstation' or check Services.msc for 'Workstation' service status
    Affected if The SMB client service (Workstation) is running or set to Auto-start, making the system vulnerable when connecting to malicious SMB servers
  3. Check for security update MS10-020
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or check 'View installed updates' in Control Panel for security update KB980232 (the patch for this CVE)
    Affected if Security update MS10-020 (KB980232) is NOT installed, meaning the vulnerability is unpatched
  4. Assess network exposure to SMB
    Verify if the system can receive inbound SMB connections from untrusted networks: check firewall rules on ports 139 and 445, or run 'netstat -an | findstr :445' to see listening ports
    Affected if The system has open SMB ports (139/445) exposed to untrusted networks, increasing risk of remote attack

A system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows Vista, Server 2003, Server 2008, or Windows 7 version with SMB client enabled, especially if SMB ports are exposed to untrusted networks.

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 (MS10-020) to affected Windows systems. At the network layer, filter SMB traffic (ports 139/445) at perimeter firewalls and use IPsec or VPN tunnels for legitimate SMB communications to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.

Recommended fix High confidence

For systems still running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Vista (which are end-of-life), migrate to a supported Windows version such as Windows Server 2019 or Windows 10/11.

  1. Apply Microsoft Security Update MS10-020, which addresses CVE-2010-0476. Download and install the appropriate update for your Windows version: KB980232 for Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Windows 7.
  2. For Windows Server 2003 SP2: Install Security Update KB980232 from Microsoft Update or the Microsoft Download Center.
  3. For Windows Vista (Gold, SP1, SP2): Install Security Update KB980232.
  4. For Windows Server 2008 (Gold, SP2): Install Security Update KB980232.
  5. For Windows 7 (all versions): Install Security Update KB980232.
  6. After applying the update, restart the affected systems to ensure the patch takes effect.
  7. Verify the update was successfully installed by checking Windows Update history or using the 'wmic qfe list' command.
Caveat None expected from the security patch; however, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates, so upgrading to a supported OS is strongly recommended.

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

Fix this in Windows 7 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2010-0476 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