CVE-2011-0039
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 · uneditedThe Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3 and Server 2003 SP2 does not properly process authentication requests, which allows local users to gain privileges via a request with a crafted length, aka "LSASS Length Validation 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 confidenceThis is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Local Security Authority Subsystem Service (LSASS) on Windows XP SP2/SP3 and Server 2003 SP2. The vulnerability stems from improper length validation when processing authentication requests, allowing a local attacker to send specially crafted requests with manipulated length values to gain elevated privileges.
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 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 Windows versionRun 'winver' or check System Properties to confirm the Windows version. Alternatively, use 'systeminfo' command and look for 'OS Name' and 'OS Version' fields.Affected if The system is Windows XP (any version) or Windows Server 2003 (any version)
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Confirm service pack levelRun 'winver' or check System Properties to see the installed Service Pack. Alternatively, use 'systeminfo' and look for 'OS Configuration' or 'Service Pack' line.Affected if Windows XP is at SP2 or SP3, or Server 2003 is at SP2 (these are the specifically listed affected versions)
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Verify LSASS service is runningOpen Task Manager, go to the Processes tab, and look for 'lsass.exe' running. Alternatively, run 'tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq lsass.exe"' command.Affected if LSASS process is running (it normally runs on all affected systems as part of Windows authentication)
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Check if security update MS11-010 is installedRun 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for security update 2485376 (MS11-010). Alternatively, use 'systeminfo' and look for 'Hotfix(s)' section.Affected if The security update MS11-010 (KB2485376) is NOT installed - the system remains vulnerable
A system is affected if it runs Windows XP SP2/SP3 or Windows Server 2003 SP2 and lacks the MS11-010 security update that patches the LSASS length validation flaw.
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 the Microsoft security update MS11-010 which addresses this LSASS length validation vulnerability. For systems that can no longer receive patches, consider upgrading to supported Windows versions or implementing compensating controls such as restricting local access to trusted personnel and monitoring for suspicious authentication activity.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-0039 — 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-2011-0039 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
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