CVE-2013-0096
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 · uneditedWriter in Microsoft Windows Essentials 2011 and 2012 allows remote attackers to bypass proxy settings and overwrite arbitrary files via crafted URL parameters, aka "Windows Essentials Improper URI Handling 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 · moderate confidenceThe Writer component in Microsoft Windows Essentials 2011 and 2012 contains an improper URI handling vulnerability that allows remote attackers to bypass proxy settings and overwrite arbitrary files on the target system via crafted URL parameters.
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= 2011= 2012CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Partial
- Integrity
- Partial
- Availability
- Partial
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
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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Verify Windows Essentials installationCheck the Windows registry at HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall for an entry named 'Windows Essentials' or look in Control Panel > Programs and Features for Microsoft Windows EssentialsAffected if The program is not listed in installed programs, indicating the software is not present and not affected
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Confirm installed version numberCheck the registry Uninstall key for the DisplayVersion value under the Windows Essentials entry, or right-click the installed Windows Essentials program file and view Properties > Details for the versionAffected if The version displayed is exactly 2011 or 2012 (versions marked with equals sign in affected products)
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Locate Writer component executableNavigate to the Windows Essentials installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Windows Essentials\) and locate the Writer application file (such as writer.exe or related DLLs)Affected if The Writer component executable exists in the installation directory, confirming the vulnerable component is present
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Check Writer component registrationCheck Windows registry for Writer component registration under HKCR\Applications\ or look for file associations related to Windows Live Writer that may indicate the component is functionalAffected if The Writer component is registered and functional, meaning the improper URI handling vulnerability can be triggered
A user is affected if Microsoft Windows Essentials version 2011 or 2012 is installed with the Writer component present and functional, as this combination enables the improper URI handling that allows proxy bypass and arbitrary file overwriting.
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 dataMicrosoft Windows Essentials 2011 and 2012 are end-of-life products with no security updates available; the primary remediation is to uninstall the affected software entirely and replace with alternative solutions.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation1.0 h
- Testing1.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2013-0096 — 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-2013-0096 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
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data