CVE-2011-1875
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 · uneditedUse-after-free vulnerability in win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP1 and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2, R2, and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 Gold and SP1 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application that leverages incorrect driver object management, a different vulnerability than other CVEs listed in MS11-054, aka "Win32k Use After Free 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 confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in win32k.sys (Windows kernel-mode graphics driver) allows local attackers to gain elevated privileges by leveraging incorrect driver object management. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of driver objects in memory, enabling arbitrary kernel-mode code execution.
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 versionsall versionsall versions= r2all 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, or use 'systeminfo' command from command promptAffected if Running Windows XP, Vista, 2003 Server, 2008 (including R2), 2003, or Windows 7 - any of these means the OS is in the affected product list
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Check if MS11-054 security update is installedOpen Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates, search for 'KB2555917' or run 'wmic qfe list' to list installed hotfixesAffected if KB2555917 is NOT listed in installed updates - the system is missing the patch that fixes this vulnerability
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Check win32k.sys file versionNavigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sys, right-click and view Properties > Details, or run 'driverquery /v /fo list' and look for win32k.sysAffected if The file version is older than the patched version provided by KB2555917 - the system is likely vulnerable
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Verify kernel patch status via registryCheck registry key HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Component Based Servicing\Packages for the presence of the KB2555917 package, or use 'systeminfo' output to confirm the Security Update is appliedAffected if The KB2555917 update is not present or the system shows 'File 0x' vulnerabilities in systeminfo output related to win32k.sys
The system is affected if it runs any affected Windows version (XP, Vista, 2003, 2008, 2008 R2, 7) AND does not have KB2555917 (MS11-054) installed.
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 Microsoft security update MS11-054 which addresses this vulnerability in win32k.sys. Alternatively, restrict local user access or disable unnecessary graphical features to reduce attack surface.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,560.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1875 — 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-2011-1875 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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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.
- 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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