CVE-2011-1967
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 · uneditedWinsrv.dll in the Client/Server Run-time Subsystem (aka CSRSS) in the Win32 subsystem in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, R2, and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 Gold and SP1 does not properly check permissions for sending inter-process device-event messages from low-integrity processes to high-integrity processes, which allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "CSRSS 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 confidenceA local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows CSRSS (Client/Server Run-time Subsystem) where winsrv.dll fails to properly validate permissions when low-integrity processes send inter-process device-event messages to high-integrity processes, allowing a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with 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 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.
-
Confirm Windows version is affectedOpen System Properties (right-click My Computer > Properties) or run 'winver' command. Verify the OS is one of: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 (including R2), or Windows Server 2003.Affected if The system runs any version of Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, or Server 2008/R2.
-
Check if security update MS11-056 is installedOpen Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' command, or use the Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) to scan for missing updates. Look for security update KB2544893 (the patch for CVE-2011-1967).Affected if The security update KB2544893 is NOT listed among installed updates.
-
Verify winsrv.dll version as secondary checkLocate winsrv.dll in the Windows\System32 folder. Right-click the file, select Properties, and check the File Version tab. Compare against the patched version for your Windows version (patched versions include 5.1.2600.6187 for XP, 6.0.6002.18551 for Vista, 6.1.7601.17640 for 7/Server 2008 R2).Affected if The installed winsrv.dll version is older than the patched version for your specific Windows build, AND the MS11-056 update is not installed.
A system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows version from XP through Server 2008 R2 and lacks the MS11-056 (KB2544893) security update.
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 MS11-056 to patch the vulnerability in affected Windows versions. For end-of-life systems, consider upgrading to supported Windows versions or implementing application whitelisting to block untrusted applications.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1967 — 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-2011-1967 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
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data