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Windows 2003 ServerOperating system · Microsoft

CVE-2011-1884

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2011-07-13
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
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
Use-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 confidence

Use-after-free vulnerability in win32k.sys (Windows kernel-mode driver) allows local authenticated users to gain elevated privileges via a crafted application leveraging incorrect driver object management. The vulnerability exists in how the driver handles certain object lifecycle operations.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS11-054) to patch the vulnerable win32k.sys driver. Prioritize patching systems where local users have untrusted code execution potential.

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 2003 ServerOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows XpOperating system
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
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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to determine the exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version is Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Server 2003, Server 2008, or Server 2008 R2 (any flavor)
  2. Verify win32k.sys is present
    Check that C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys exists (should be present on all affected Windows versions)
    Affected if The file exists - the driver is loaded and the attack surface is present
  3. Check win32k.sys version
    Right-click win32k.sys in System32, go to Properties, Details tab, and record the File Version. Compare this to the version shipped with MS11-054 security update for your specific Windows version.
    Affected if The driver version is older than the patched version for MS11-054 on your Windows build, indicating the vulnerability is present
  4. Confirm security update status
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for installed security updates, specifically looking for KB2544893 (the MS11-054 update)
    Affected if KB2544893 is NOT listed among installed updates and the Windows version is in the affected list
  5. Verify local user access
    Check if non-administrative local users exist on the system via 'net user' or Local Users and Groups manager
    Affected if Local users with limited privileges exist on an unpatched system - these users could exploit the vulnerability to gain SYSTEM privileges

The system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows version from XP through Server 2008 R2 (as listed in affected products) AND has not installed MS11-054 security update KB2544893, and local user accounts are present.

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

Apply Microsoft security updates (MS11-054) to patch the vulnerable win32k.sys driver. Prioritize patching systems where local users have untrusted code execution potential.

Fix this in Windows 2003 Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
24.0 hours of engineering $4,160
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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2011-1884 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