Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2015-2426

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2015-07-20

Patch available

A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.

See remediation →

100/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

In the wild High EPSS Public exploit Remotely reachable No privileges Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

Buffer underflow in atmfd.dll in the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, and Windows RT Gold and 8.1 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted OpenType font, aka "OpenType Font Driver Vulnerability."

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Buffer underflow vulnerability in atmfd.dll (Adobe Type Manager Library) allows remote code execution when processing a specially crafted OpenType font. The vulnerability exists in the Windows font parsing subsystem and can be triggered when a user opens or previews a malicious font file, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code with user privileges.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates (MS15-080) that address this vulnerability. As a workaround, disable the ATMFD.dll driver via registry modification (adding ATMFDDisableEntry point=1 to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows).

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Windows 10Operating system

Affected:all versions

Windows 7Operating system

Affected:all versions

Windows 8Operating system

Affected:all versions

Windows 8.1Operating system

Affected:all versions

Windows RtOperating system

Affected:all versions

Windows Rt 8.1Operating system

Affected:all versions

Windows Server 2008Operating system

Affected:all versions= r2

Windows Server 2012Operating system

Affected:all versions= r2

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges: None
User interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

Identify Windows version

Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' from command prompt to determine the exact Windows version and build number

Affected if The version is Windows 10, 7, 8, 8.1, Rt, Rt 8.1, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, or Server 2012 R2 and the MS15-080 update is not installed
Confirm atmfd.dll is present

Check for the presence of atmfd.dll in the Windows\System32 directory (the Adobe Type Manager Font Driver)

Affected if The file exists on the system - this driver is present by default in affected Windows versions and processes OpenType fonts
Verify security update MS15-080 is not installed

Run 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for security update KB3078662 (the patch for MS15-080)

Affected if The update KB3078662 is NOT listed as installed on the system
Check if ATMFD driver is enabled

Check the Windows registry key HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\I/O System\Drivers\Reserved and verify ATMFD is loaded, or inspect running drivers with 'driverquery /v'

Affected if The ATMFD driver (atmfd.dll) is currently loaded and active on the system

The system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions, contains the atmfd.dll font driver, and lacks the KB3078662 (MS15-080) security update.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Patch available Apply the vendor patch

Vendor patch docs.microsoft.com →

Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates (MS15-080) that address this vulnerability. As a workaround, disable the ATMFD.dll driver via registry modification (adding ATMFDDisableEntry point=1 to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows).

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 (latest supported version) or Windows Server 2019/2022; for supported Windows 8.1/Server 2012 R2 ensure July 2015 security updates are applied

Install the Microsoft security update that addresses CVE-2015-2426 (July 2015 security update for Windows)
Verify the update was successfully installed by checking Windows Update history
For systems that are no longer supported (Windows 7, Windows Server 2008/2012 without extended support), upgrade to a currently supported Windows version such as Windows 10 or Windows Server 2019/2022
Ensure antivirus/antimalware software is current and scan systems for indicators of compromise
Restart the system after applying updates to ensure the vulnerable atmfd.dll driver is fully updated

Caveat Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008/2012 reached end of support; migrating from these systems may require application compatibility testing

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 10 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation2.0 h
Implementation4.0 h
Testing3.0 h
Review / QA1.0 h

10.0 hours of engineering $1,750

Get it fixed fast

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

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References

Primary sources

docs.microsoft.comPatch / commit
blog.trendmicro.comProof of Concept
docs.microsoft.comPatchVendor Advisory
blog.trendmicro.comExploitThird Party Advisory
www.kb.cert.orgThird Party AdvisoryUS Government Resource
www.securityfocus.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.securitytracker.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.exploit-db.comThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-2426 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-2426?

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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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

At a glance

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2022-04-18

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 8.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 86.7%

Affects: Windows 10

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Windows 10 10 hrs · Low

Typical engagement from $1,750

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References