dbcve.org
Windows 7Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2011-0032

HIGH · 9.3 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-03-09
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
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
Untrusted search path vulnerability in DirectShow in Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 and SP2, Windows 7 Gold and SP1, Windows Server 2008 R2 and R2 SP1, and Windows Media Center TV Pack for Windows Vista allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL in the current working directory, as demonstrated by a directory that contains a Digital Video Recording (.dvr-ms), Windows Recorded TV Show (.wtv), or .mpg file, aka "DirectShow Insecure Library Loading 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 confidence

DirectShow in affected Windows versions insecurely loads DLLs from the current working directory instead of using secure paths. When a user opens a directory containing media files (.dvr-ms, .wtv, .mpg), a malicious DLL placed in that directory executes with the user's privileges, allowing local privilege escalation.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS11-008 (or subsequent relevant updates) to fix the insecure library loading in DirectShow. Avoid opening media files from untrusted or shared network directories until patched.

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 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:= r2
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Media Center Tv PackApplication
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
Network
Complexity
M
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:M/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. Check Windows version
    Open System Properties (win+r, type 'systeminfo' or right-click This PC > Properties) and note the Windows edition and version
    Affected if The version is Windows 7 (any), Windows Vista (any), Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Media Center Tv Pack (any)
  2. Verify DirectShow component is present
    Check for the presence of quartz.dll in the system32 directory (typically C:\Windows\System32\quartz.dll), which contains the DirectShow implementation
    Affected if The quartz.dll file exists on the system, indicating DirectShow is installed
  3. Confirm security update MS11-008 is not installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' from command prompt, and search for update KB2479686 or KB980232
    Affected if Update KB2479686 (MS11-008) or KB980232 is NOT listed among installed updates, meaning the vulnerability remains unpatched
  4. Verify application compatibility settings do not mitigate the issue
    Check if the HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\Layers registry key contains entries that force DirectShow applications to run in compatibility mode with elevated mitigation (unlikely by default)
    Affected if No specific AppCompat settings exist for DirectShow applications and the system remains unpatched

The system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows 7, Vista, Server 2008 R2, or Media Center Tv Pack with DirectShow present, and the MS11-008 update is missing.

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 update MS11-008 (or subsequent relevant updates) to fix the insecure library loading in DirectShow. Avoid opening media files from untrusted or shared network directories until patched.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence
  1. Apply the Microsoft security update for this vulnerability through Windows Update or the Microsoft Download Center
  2. Verify that the update is successfully installed by checking the installed updates in Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates
  3. Restart the system if prompted to complete the installation
  4. Alternatively, ensure Windows automatic updates are enabled and configured to receive security updates

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

Fix this in Windows 7 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-2011-0032 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