dbcve.org
OfficeApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-1263

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-06-08
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
Windows Shell and WordPad in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP1 and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2, and R2, and Windows 7; Microsoft Office XP SP3; Office 2003 SP3; and Office System 2007 SP1 and SP2 do not properly validate COM objects during instantiation, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted file, aka "COM Validation 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

Windows Shell and WordPad fail to properly validate COM objects during instantiation, allowing remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by convincing users to open specially crafted files. This is a remote code execution vulnerability affecting multiple Windows versions and Office products.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates KB981850 and related patches. Avoid opening untrusted files in WordPad. Disable COM object instantiation from untrusted sources where possible.

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
OfficeApplication
Affected:= 2003= 2007= xp

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. Check installed Microsoft Office version
    Open Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\Configuration or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\{version}\Common\InstallRoot, or run 'winword.exe /?' from the Office program directory to display version information
    Affected if The installed version is Office 2003, Office 2007, or Office XP (the versions listed as affected)
  2. Verify WordPad presence
    Locate wordpad.exe in the system (typically in C:\Program Files\Windows NT\Accessories\wordpad.exe or C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows NT\Accessories\wordpad.exe) and check its version properties
    Affected if WordPad is installed on the system (the vulnerability affects both Windows Shell and WordPad COM object instantiation)
  3. Check for security update KB981850
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' command to list installed hotfixes, and search for KB981850 or associated security patches
    Affected if KB981850 is NOT installed - this indicates the vulnerability patch is missing and the system may be exploitable

A system is affected if it runs the specified Office versions or has WordPad installed AND lacks the KB981850 security update that patches the COM object validation flaw.

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 KB981850 and related patches. Avoid opening untrusted files in WordPad. Disable COM object instantiation from untrusted sources where possible.

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to currently supported versions of Microsoft Office (Office 2016 or Microsoft 365) and Windows (Windows 10 or Windows 11)

  1. 1. Identify all systems running affected Office versions (Office XP SP3, Office 2003 SP3, Office 2007 SP1/SP2) or affected Windows versions (Windows XP SP2/SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP1/SP2, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7)
  2. 2. Either apply the Microsoft security update MS10-037 (the original patch for this vulnerability) if systems are still receiving updates, or plan to migrate to supported versions
  3. 3. For Office systems: upgrade to a currently supported Microsoft Office version (Office 2016 or Microsoft 365)
  4. 4. For Windows systems: upgrade to a currently supported Windows version (Windows 10 or Windows 11)
  5. 5. After upgrading, verify the vulnerability is no longer present
Caveat Windows XP, Vista, Server 2003/2008, and Office 2003/2007/XP are end-of-life and no longer receive security updates; upgrading may require hardware changes and user re-training

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

Fix this in Office Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2010-1263 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