CVE-2014-3802
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 · uneditedmsdia.dll in Microsoft Debug Interface Access (DIA) SDK, as distributed in Microsoft Visual Studio before 2013, does not properly validate an unspecified variable before use in calculating a dynamic-call address, which allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted PDB file.
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 confidencemsdia.dll in Microsoft Visual Studio's Debug Interface Access (DIA) SDK fails to properly validate a variable before using it in calculating a dynamic-call address, leading to memory corruption. Remote attackers can exploit this by providing a specially crafted PDB file to the victim, potentially achieving arbitrary code execution.
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 versions<= 2012= 2002= 2003= 2005= 2010CVSS 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.
-
Identify installed Visual Studio versionsCheck the system for Visual Studio installations. On 64-bit systems, look in C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio and C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio. On 32-bit systems, check C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio. Review the folder names which typically indicate version numbers (e.g., VS2002, VS2003, VS2005, VS2010, VS2012).Affected if Visual Studio 2002, 2003, 2005, 2010, or 2012 is installed, or the DIA SDK is present on the system
-
Locate and identify msdia.dll versionSearch for msdia.dll on the system. Common paths include: C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio <version>\DIA SDK\bin\msdia.dll or within the Visual Studio Common\IDE\CommonExtensions\Microsoft\DiaSDK folders. Right-click the file, select Properties, and view the Version tab to identify the file version.Affected if msdia.dll exists on the system (any version from the affected products)
-
Determine if DIA SDK is registered and activeCheck if the DIA SDK COM component is registered. Run 'reg query HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\VisualStudio\<version>\DIA SDK' for each installed VS version, or check for the presence of registry keys under HKCR\TypeLib containing DIA SDK GUIDs. Also check if msdiaXX.dll (msdia70.dll, msdia80.dll, etc.) is registered as a COM server.Affected if The DIA SDK COM component is registered on the system, indicating it can be invoked by applications processing debug information
-
Detect applications that load msdia.dllMonitor process creation or review installed software that processes PDB files, such as debuggers, crash dump analyzers, or profilers. Check application dependencies using tools like 'depends.exe' or by reviewing the application's manifest and loading behavior when opening PDB files.Affected if Any application capable of loading msdia.dll to process debug information is in use
-
Audit recent PDB file handling activityReview system logs, application logs, or file access history to identify recently opened PDB files, especially from network shares, downloads, or email attachments. Check browser download histories and temporary folders for untrusted PDB files.Affected if PDB files from untrusted or unknown sources have been opened on the system
A system is affected if it has Visual Studio 2002-2012, the DIA SDK, or msdia.dll present and processes PDB files, particularly from untrusted sources.
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 dataUpgrade to Visual Studio 2013 or later to obtain the patched msdia.dll. Until then, avoid opening PDB files from untrusted sources and disable the DIA SDK if not needed.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA4.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,656.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-3802 — 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-2014-3802 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