dbcve.org
Windows 2003 ServerOperating system · Microsoft

CVE-2010-1894

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-08-11
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Windows kernel-mode drivers in win32k.sys in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, and Windows Server 2003 SP2, do not properly handle unspecified exceptions, which allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k Exception Handling 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 · moderate confidence

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows kernel-mode driver win32k.sys. The driver fails to properly handle unspecified exceptions, allowing a local attacker to run a crafted application that escalates their privileges to kernel level. The vulnerability affects Windows XP SP2/SP3 and Windows Server 2003 SP2.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS10-053 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch the win32k.sys vulnerability. If patching is not possible, restrict local user access and disable unnecessary services to reduce the attack surface.

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 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating 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
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/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 the Windows version
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to confirm the installed Windows version. Alternatively, run 'systeminfo' from command prompt and look for OS Name and OS Version.
    Affected if The system is Windows XP (any Service Pack) or Windows Server 2003 (any Service Pack) - these are the affected product versions listed.
  2. Verify win32k.sys is present
    Check that the file C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys exists. This is the kernel-mode driver vulnerable to the exception handling flaw. Use 'dir C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys' or PowerShell 'Test-Path C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys'.
    Affected if The file exists (expected on affected Windows XP/2003 systems) - the vulnerability resides in this driver.
  3. Check if MS10-053 security update is installed
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for security update KB981957 (MS10-053). Alternatively, go to Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates and search for KB981957.
    Affected if The MS10-053 update (KB981957) is NOT installed - the system remains unpatched and vulnerable.
  4. Verify win32k.sys version
    Right-click win32k.sys in C:\Windows\System32\, select Properties, go to Details tab, and check File Version. Compare this against the version bundled with MS10-053 for your specific Windows version. Alternatively, run 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys).VersionInfo.FileVersion'.
    Affected if The file version is older than the patched version released with MS10-053, indicating the exception handling flaw is still present.

A user is affected if they are running an unpatched Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 system where the win32k.sys driver has not been updated via MS10-053, allowing local privilege escalation through improper exception handling.

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

Apply Microsoft security update MS10-053 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch the win32k.sys vulnerability. If patching is not possible, restrict local user access and disable unnecessary services to reduce the attack surface.

Fix this in Windows 2003 Server 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-2010-1894 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