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Malware DefenderApplication · Torchsoft

CVE-2010-5165

MEDIUM · 6.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-08-25
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
67/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
Race condition in Malware Defender 2.6.0 on Windows XP allows local users to bypass kernel-mode hook handlers, and execute dangerous code that would otherwise be blocked by a handler but not blocked by signature-based malware detection, via certain user-space memory changes during hook-handler execution, aka an argument-switch attack or a KHOBE attack. NOTE: this issue is disputed by some third parties because it is a flaw in a protection mechanism for situations where a crafted program has already begun to execute

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

Race condition in Malware Defender 2.6.0 allows local users to bypass kernel-mode hook handlers via user-space memory changes during hook-handler execution (argument-switch/KHOBE attack). This enables execution of code that would normally be blocked by handlers but not by signature-based detection.

MitigationSince Malware Defender 2.6.0 is an older/disputed product from 2010, consider migrating to actively-supported endpoint protection solutions or verifying if vendor patches exist; implement defense-in-depth with additional security controls.

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
Malware DefenderApplication
Affected:= 2.6.0

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
High
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:H/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 Malware Defender is installed
    Check for Malware Defender installation by searching for the executable. Look in common installation directories such as C:\Program Files\Malware Defender or C:\Program Files (x86)\Malware Defender, or search for 'MalwareDefender.exe' using the system search or PowerShell command: Get-ChildItem -Path 'C:\Program Files','C:\Program Files (x86)' -Recurse -Filter 'MalwareDefender.exe' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Affected if Malware Defender executable is found on the system
  2. Identify installed version
    Right-click on the Malware Defender executable, select Properties, then go to the Details tab to view the Product Version. Alternatively, check the Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for Malware Defender entry, or use PowerShell: (Get-Item 'C:\Program Files\Malware Defender\MalwareDefender.exe').VersionInfo.ProductVersion
    Affected if Version is exactly 2.6.0
  3. Confirm kernel-mode hook handlers are enabled
    Launch Malware Defender and navigate to the HIPS (Host Intrusion Prevention System) or 'Hook Settings' section in the main interface. Verify that kernel-mode hook handlers are actively enabled for process monitoring, file protection, or registry protection features. The vulnerability specifically exploits these hooks, so they must be turned on.
    Affected if Kernel-mode hook handlers are enabled in the Malware Defender configuration

A system is affected only if Malware Defender version 2.6.0 is installed AND kernel-mode hook handlers are enabled, making the race condition exploitable.

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

Since Malware Defender 2.6.0 is an older/disputed product from 2010, consider migrating to actively-supported endpoint protection solutions or verifying if vendor patches exist; implement defense-in-depth with additional security controls.

Fix this in Malware Defender Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
9.0 hours of engineering $1,600
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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-2010-5165 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