CVE-2010-5178
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 · uneditedRace condition in ThreatFire 4.7.0.17 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 confidenceRace condition in ThreatFire 4.7.0.17 allows local users to bypass kernel-mode hook handlers by manipulating user-space memory during hook execution, enabling execution of code that would otherwise be blocked by the security software's behavioral detection.
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= 4.7.0.17CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Verify ThreatFire installation statusCheck for ThreatFire software presence in system programs or installed applications list. Common locations: Program Files (x86)\PC Tools\ThreatFire or Program Files\PC Tools\ThreatFire, or check Windows Registry under HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for ThreatFire entry.Affected if ThreatFire is installed on the system
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Identify installed ThreatFire versionRight-click the ThreatFire icon in system tray or access Help > About in the ThreatFire interface to view the exact version number. Alternatively, check the program's executable file properties (ThreatFire.exe) or look for version information in the Windows Registry uninstall key.Affected if Installed version equals 4.7.0.17 exactly
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Confirm ThreatFire service is runningOpen Services.msc and locate the ThreatFire service (typically named 'ThreatFire' or 'PC Tools ThreatFire Service'), verify its status is Running. The vulnerability requires the security software's active protection to be bypassed.Affected if ThreatFire service is active and running on the system
If ThreatFire version 4.7.0.17 is installed and running, the system is affected by this race condition vulnerability that allows local users to bypass the security software's behavioral detection hooks.
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 dataReplace or upgrade ThreatFire 4.7.0.17 as the software is discontinued; migrate to current endpoint protection solutions that do not have this race condition vulnerability.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2010-5178 — 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-2010-5178 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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- 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