CVE-2016-0181
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 10 Gold and 1511 allows local users to bypass the Virtual Secure Mode Hypervisor Code Integrity (HVCI) protection mechanism and perform RWX markings of kernel-mode pages via a crafted application, aka "Hypervisor Code Integrity Security Feature Bypass."
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 confidenceCVE-2016-0181 is a local security feature bypass vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 Gold and 1511 that allows authenticated local users to circumvent the Virtual Secure Mode Hypervisor Code Integrity (HVCI) protection mechanism. Attackers can use a crafted application to perform RWX (Read-Write-Execute) markings on kernel-mode memory pages, which should normally be blocked by HVCI, potentially enabling further privilege escalation or code execution at the kernel level.
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= 1511CVSS 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
- None
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- None
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:H/A:N
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 10 versionRun 'winver' or check System Properties to determine if the system is Windows 10 Gold (initial release) or Windows 10 version 1511 (November Update). Alternatively, run 'systeminfo' and look at the OS Version field.Affected if The system is running Windows 10 Gold or Windows 10 version 1511.
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Verify HVCI is enabledOpen the Windows Security Center or Device Security settings, or run 'msinfo32' and check the 'Hypervisor-enforced Code Integrity' status. In enterprise environments, check via Group Policy or SCCM.Affected if HVCI is disabled or not enforced on the affected Windows 10 system.
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Check for security update MS16-055Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' to list installed hotfixes. Search for KB3156421 (the update for MS16-055) or any subsequent cumulative updates.Affected if The security update MS16-055 (KB3156421) or a later cumulative update is NOT installed.
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Confirm HVCI is functioning correctlyRun 'verify /hvci' from an elevated command prompt if available, or check the Event Viewer under Microsoft-Windows-Hyper-V-Hypervisor for relevant events indicating HVCI enforcement status.Affected if HVCI shows as present but is not actively blocking RWX memory markings in kernel mode.
A user is affected if their system runs Windows 10 Gold or version 1511, has not received the MS16-055 security update or later cumulative update, and has HVCI disabled or not functioning correctly.
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 the relevant Microsoft security update (MS16-055 or subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Windows 10 systems. Verify that HVCI is enabled and functioning correctly post-patch.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing2.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-0181 — 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-2016-0181 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
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