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Windows 2003 ServerOperating system · Microsoft

CVE-2012-1864

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2012-06-12
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
win32k.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 handle user-mode input passed to kernel mode for driver objects, which allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "String Atom Class Name Handling Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2012-1865.

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

win32k.sys kernel-mode driver does not properly validate user-mode input passed to kernel mode when handling string atom class names, allowing a local authenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code with kernel-level privileges by crafting specific input to driver objects.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates KB2654428 (or subsequent superseded patches) to address the win32k.sys vulnerability; for end-of-life systems (XP/Server 2003), consider compensating controls such as restricting user privileges or deploying virtualization/migration strategies.

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
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. Confirm Windows version is in affected product list
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties to identify the Windows version. Affected products are: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008.
    Affected if The system runs Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, or Server 2008 (any version). These are the affected products.
  2. Verify if security update KB2654428 is installed
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' command, and search for KB2654428 in the list.
    Affected if KB2654428 is NOT installed. If absent, the system is vulnerable and missing the fix.
  3. Check win32k.sys file version as alternative verification
    Locate win32k.sys in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\, right-click > Properties > Details tab to view file version. Alternatively, run 'driverquery /v | findstr win32k' or 'Get-ItemProperty C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sys').
    Affected if The file version is older than the patched version provided by KB2654428. Compare against Microsoft's security bulletin MS12-034 for the patched version specific to your Windows build.
  4. Confirm win32k.sys driver is loaded
    Open Task Manager > Services tab, or run 'sc query win32k' command, or check with 'driverquery | findstr win32k'.
    Affected if The win32k.sys driver is loaded and running. This driver handles window manager functions and is present in all normal Windows GUI sessions; if loaded and unpatched, the vulnerability is exploitable.

A system is affected if it runs an unpatched Windows XP, Vista, 7, Server 2003, or Server 2008 version where KB2654428 is not installed and win32k.sys remains at a vulnerable version.

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 KB2654428 (or subsequent superseded patches) to address the win32k.sys vulnerability; for end-of-life systems (XP/Server 2003), consider compensating controls such as restricting user privileges or deploying virtualization/migration strategies.

Fix this in Windows 2003 Server Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,060
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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-2012-1864 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