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DirectxApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-1880

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
Unspecified vulnerability in Quartz.dll for DirectShow on Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003 SP2, Vista SP1, and Server 2008 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a media file with crafted compression data, aka "MJPEG Media Decompression 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

Memory corruption vulnerability in Quartz.dll's MJPEG decompression handler allows remote code execution when processing specially crafted media files with malformed compression tables. The attacker must trick the user into opening a malicious MJPEG file.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS10-033 which addresses this vulnerability. Users should avoid opening untrusted media files from unknown sources.

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
DirectxApplication
Affected:= 9.0= 9.0a= 9.0b= 9.0c

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 DirectX version
    Run 'dxdiag' from command prompt and note the DirectX version displayed under System Information
    Affected if The installed DirectX version is 9.0, 9.0a, 9.0b, or 9.0c exactly
  2. Identify Quartz.dll file version
    Locate Quartz.dll in the system (typically in C:\Windows\System32) and view its file properties to obtain the version number
    Affected if Quartz.dll version corresponds to DirectX 9.0 through 9.0c series
  3. Verify MJPEG file handling capability
    Check if any installed media player or application on the system is configured to process MJPEG video files (check file associations for .mjpg or .mjpeg extensions)
    Affected if The system has applications registered to open MJPEG files, enabling the attack vector
  4. Confirm Quartz.dll is present and accessible
    Verify that Quartz.dll exists on the system and is not removed or renamed, as the vulnerability resides in this specific DLL component
    Affected if Quartz.dll is present and functional, allowing the MJPEG decompression handler to be invoked

The environment is affected if DirectX 9.0, 9.0a, 9.0b, or 9.0c is installed and the system can process MJPEG media files through Quartz.dll

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 update MS10-033 which addresses this vulnerability. Users should avoid opening untrusted media files from unknown sources.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. 1. Verify the Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in command prompt
  2. 2. Identify the applicable Microsoft security bulletin - this vulnerability is addressed by MS10-033
  3. 3. Download the appropriate security update for your Windows version from Microsoft Update Catalog or Windows Update
  4. 4. Install the security update: For Windows XP, apply KB982799; For Windows Vista/Server 2008, apply KB982799; For Windows Server 2003, apply KB982799
  5. 5. Restart the system after installing the update
  6. 6. Verify the update was installed successfully by checking 'View installed updates' in Windows Control Panel or running 'get-hotfix' in PowerShell
Caveat This vulnerability affected Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, and Server 2008 - these are all end-of-life operating systems. Microsoft no longer provides security updates for Windows XP (since 2014) and earlier versions. Consider migrating to a supported Windows version.

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

Fix this in Directx Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
5.0 hours of engineering $880
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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-2010-1880 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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