CVE-2010-3942
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 · uneditedwin32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers 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 does not properly allocate memory for copies from user mode, which allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k WriteAV 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 confidenceA memory allocation vulnerability in win32k.sys (Windows kernel-mode driver) fails to properly allocate memory when copying data from user mode, leading to a write access violation. Local attackers can exploit this to elevate privileges from user mode to kernel/system level.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify your Windows versionRun 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the exact Windows version and build numberAffected if The system runs Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 (any version or build within these families)
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Check if MS10-098 security update is installedRun 'wmic qfe list | findstr "KB2436673"' or check Add/Remove Programs for security update KB2436673Affected if The security update KB2436673 is NOT installed - the system remains vulnerable
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Verify win32k.sys file versionLocate win32k.sys in %SystemRoot%\system32\drivers and check its file version property, or run 'systeminfo' and examine the OS patch informationAffected if The win32k.sys version corresponds to an unpatched build of the affected Windows versions listed above
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Confirm system architecture and kernel accessVerify the system is running a 32-bit or 64-bit Windows kernel - the vulnerability exists in the win32k.sys driver that handles win32 subsystem callsAffected if The system uses an unpatched version of win32k.sys on any affected Windows version (this is true by default for unpatched systems)
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Assess local user access exposureReview which local users have physical or terminal services access to the machine, as the exploit requires executing code locallyAffected if Untrusted local users exist on the system and the system remains unpatched for MS10-098
A system is affected if it runs any version of Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, or Server 2008 and lacks the KB2436673 security update (MS10-098), allowing local privilege escalation via the win32k.sys driver.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply Microsoft security update MS10-098 (or subsequent relevant patches) to affected Windows versions, or migrate to unsupported systems to versions that receive security updates.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-3942 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2010-3942 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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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.
- 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