CVE-2016-0101
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 · uneditedMicrosoft Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 10 Gold and 1511 allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via crafted media content, aka "Windows Media Parsing Remote Code Execution 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 · high confidenceA remote code execution vulnerability in Windows Media parsing components allows attackers to execute arbitrary code by tricking users into opening specially crafted media content (likely video or audio files). The vulnerability affects multiple Windows versions from Windows 7 SP1 through Windows 10 1511.
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 versions= r2all versions= r2CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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.
-
Verify Windows version is in affected rangeOpen Command Prompt and run 'winver' or 'systeminfo'. Check if the version matches Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (any version including 1511), Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008 R2, or Windows Server 2012/R2.Affected if The installed Windows version is Windows 7 through Windows 10 1511, or Windows Server 2008 R2 through Server 2012 R2, as listed in the affected products.
-
Confirm Windows Media Player is installedCheck if wmplayer.exe exists at 'C:\Program Files\Windows Media Player\wmplayer.exe' or verify via Control Panel > Programs and Features. Alternatively, run 'Get-ItemProperty HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\wmplayer.exe' in PowerShell.Affected if Windows Media Player is present on the system, as this is the vulnerable media parsing component.
-
Check for missing security update MS16-020Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' or 'Get-HotFix' in PowerShell. Search for security update KB3139398 which addresses this CVE.Affected if The system is missing security update KB3139398 (MS16-020), indicating the vulnerability is unpatched.
A user is affected if they run a vulnerable Windows version (7 through 10 1511, or Server 2008 R2 through 2012 R2) with Windows Media Player enabled and without security update KB3139398 installed.
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 updates for this vulnerability (MS16-020) and exercise caution when opening media files from untrusted sources.
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,880.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0101 — 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-2016-0101 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