CVE-2016-0096
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 · uneditedThe kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 10 Gold and 1511 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0093, CVE-2016-0094, and CVE-2016-0095.
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 confidenceWin32k.sys elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows kernel-mode driver allows local authenticated users to gain elevated SYSTEM privileges by running a specially crafted application against the win32k driver.
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= 1511all versionsall versionsall versionsall versions= r2all versions= r2all 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
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the installed Windows version and build numberAffected if Running Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (any version including 1511), Windows Rt 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012 R2, or any listed affected version
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Locate win32k.sys driver fileVerify the file exists at C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys by running 'dir C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys'Affected if The win32k.sys driver file is present on the system (vulnerability applies to all systems with this driver)
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Check win32k.sys file versionRun 'wmic datafile where "name='C:\\Windows\\System32\\win32k.sys'" get version,localizeddescription' or right-click the file in Explorer, select Properties, and view the Version tabAffected if The file version is older than the patched version released in MS16-034 (released March 8, 2016); unpatched versions remain vulnerable
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Verify patch MS16-034 is installedRun 'wmic qfe get HotFixID,InstalledOn' or check Windows Update history for security update KB3140745 (or subsequent cumulative updates containing the win32k.sys fix)Affected if The security update MS16-034 (KB3140745) or a later cumulative update containing the fix is NOT installed, indicating the system is unpatched
A system is affected if it runs any affected Windows version (Vista, 7, 8.1, 10, Rt 8.1, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012 R2) AND the win32k.sys driver has not been updated via MS16-034 or a subsequent cumulative update.
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 Microsoft security update MS16-034 (or subsequent cumulative updates) to patch the win32k.sys driver on all affected Windows systems; prioritize workstations and servers where unpatched local users could escalate privileges.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 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-2016-0096 — 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-2016-0096 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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- 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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