CVE-2011-1985
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 · uneditedwin32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers 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 validate user-mode input, which allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and system crash) via a crafted application, aka "Win32k Null Pointer De-reference 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 null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in win32k.sys where the kernel-mode driver fails to properly validate user-mode input. This allows a local attacker to crash the system or elevate privileges to kernel level by triggering the NULL pointer dereference through a specially crafted application.
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
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
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 determine the exact Windows version and build numberAffected if The version is Windows 2003 Server, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008 (any version or R2), Windows Vista, or Windows XP - all of these are in the affected product list
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Confirm win32k.sys is presentVerify the file exists at C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sysAffected if The file is present and the Windows version is one of the affected versions listed above
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Check kernel driver versionRight-click win32k.sys in System32, select Properties, and view the File Version fieldAffected if The file version is older than the patched version for this CVE (the vulnerability exists in unpatched versions of the driver)
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Assess local user accessReview which users have local logon rights to the system using 'net user' or Local Users and Groups managementAffected if Multiple untrusted users have local access - the vulnerability is exploitable by any local user
If the system runs any affected Windows version (2003, 7, Server 2003, Server 2008/R2, Vista, XP) without the security update for this CVE, and local users exist, the environment is vulnerable to privilege escalation via win32k.sys.
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 appropriate Microsoft security update for this vulnerability. As a local privilege escalation, minimize the number of users with local access and monitor for suspicious applications.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2011-1985 — 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-2011-1985 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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