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Internet Information ServicesApplication · Microsoft

CVE-2010-3972

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2010-12-23
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
High EPSS Public exploit 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
Heap-based buffer overflow in the TELNET_STREAM_CONTEXT::OnSendData function in ftpsvc.dll in Microsoft FTP Service 7.0 and 7.5 for Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.0, and IIS 7.5, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (daemon crash) via a crafted FTP command, aka "IIS FTP Service Heap Buffer Overrun Vulnerability." NOTE: some of these details are obtained from third party information.

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

Heap-based buffer overflow in the TELNET_STREAM_CONTEXT::OnSendData function in ftpsvc.dll in Microsoft FTP Service 7.0 and 7.5 for IIS 7.0 and 7.5 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted FTP commands, achieving code execution in the context of the FTP service process.

MitigationApply Microsoft security patches for this vulnerability; if patching is not immediately possible, disable the IIS FTP service or restrict network access to FTP ports to limit 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
Internet Information ServicesApplication
Affected:= 7.5

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. Verify IIS version is 7.5
    Open a command prompt and run: inetmgr, then go to Help > About Internet Information Services, or run: reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Inetmgr\Parameters" /v Version 2>nul or check the IIS version via: appcmd list config /section:system.applicationHost/sites
    Affected if The installed IIS version is 7.5 (note: other versions are not affected)
  2. Confirm Microsoft FTP Service is installed
    Check if FTP Service exists: Open Programs and Features > Turn Windows features on or off > Internet Information Services > FTP Server, or run: sc query ftpsvc
    Affected if The FTP Service Windows feature is installed (if not present, the vulnerability does not apply)
  3. Check if FTP Service is enabled in IIS
    Run: appcmd list config /section:serverRuntime or check IIS Manager > FTP site status under Sites node
    Affected if FTP site or FTP service is configured/enabled in IIS
  4. Verify ftpsvc.dll version
    Locate the DLL in the IIS directory, typically at %windir%\System32\inetsrv\ftpsvc.dll, right-click > Properties > Details to view File Version
    Affected if The file version corresponds to FTP Service 7.5 for IIS 7.5 (compare your version to the affected release)
  5. Confirm FTP service process is running
    Run: sc query ftpsvc or look for ftpsvc.exe in Task Manager > Services tab
    Affected if The FTP service (ftpsvc) is running - this is required for exploitation

A user is affected if they are running IIS version 7.5 with the Microsoft FTP Service 7.5 installed, enabled, and actively running, exposing FTP ports to the network.

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 patches for this vulnerability; if patching is not immediately possible, disable the IIS FTP service or restrict network access to FTP ports to limit attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Apply Microsoft Security Update MS11-004 (security update for IIS FTP Service)

  1. Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS11-004, which addresses this IIS FTP Service heap buffer overflow vulnerability
  2. Download and install the security update for your Windows version from the Microsoft Update website
  3. After applying the update, restart the FTP service or reboot the server if required
  4. Verify the patch is installed by checking for the updated ftpsvc.dll version or via Windows Update history
Caveat This is a security patch with minimal risk; ensure you have backups before applying any server updates

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

Fix this in Internet Information Services Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,620
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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-2010-3972 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