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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2016-3236

CRITICAL · 9.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-06-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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 · unedited
The Web Proxy Auto Discovery (WPAD) protocol implementation 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 mishandles proxy discovery, which allows remote attackers to redirect network traffic via unspecified vectors, aka "Windows WPAD Proxy Discovery Elevation of Privilege 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 confidence

The WPAD protocol implementation in multiple Windows versions mishandles proxy discovery, allowing remote attackers to redirect network traffic via unspecified vectors. This enables an attacker to intercept or manipulate network communications, effectively performing an elevation of privilege by impersonating proxy services.

MitigationDisable WPAD via registry or Group Policy, or ensure internal DNS/WINS do not resolve wpad entries, combined with applying the relevant Microsoft security updates.

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 data
Windows 10Operating system
Affected:all versions= 1511
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating 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
Windows VistaOperating system
Affected:all versions

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.

From the vector
Attack vector
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the installed Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version is Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 10 (all versions including 1511), Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2
  2. Verify WPAD proxy auto-discovery is enabled
    Check the Windows Registry key HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\AutoConfigURL or run 'netsh winhttp show proxy' to see if automatic proxy configuration is active
    Affected if AutoConfigURL is set to a WPAD script (contains 'wpad') or proxy is set to auto-detect
  3. Check for WPAD DNS entry vulnerability
    Run 'nslookup wpad' or check internal DNS server records to see if 'wpad' hostname resolves on the local network
    Affected if The wpad hostname resolves to an IP address, allowing a potential attacker on the same network to respond to WPAD requests
  4. Confirm WinHTTP proxy settings
    Run 'netsh winhttp show proxy' to check if WinHTTP is configured to use automatic proxy detection
    Affected if WinHTTP proxy is set to 'AutoDetect' or uses a WPAD configuration script

A system is affected if it runs one of the listed vulnerable Windows versions AND has WPAD auto-discovery functionality enabled (either through IE/WinInet or WinHTTP settings), combined with a resolvable wpad hostname on the network.

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

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Disable WPAD via registry or Group Policy, or ensure internal DNS/WINS do not resolve wpad entries, combined with applying the relevant Microsoft security updates.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

For Windows 10: Update to the latest supported Windows 10 version (22H2 or later) with all cumulative updates applied; For Windows 7/8.1/Server 2008-2012: Migrate to currently supported operating systems (Windows Server 2016/2019/2022, Windows 10 22H2, or Windows 11) as these older OS versions have

  1. Ensure Windows Update is enabled and configured to automatically receive security updates
  2. For Windows 10 systems: Update to a version newer than Windows 10 Gold (version 1507) and Windows 10 version 1511. Apply the latest cumulative update for your Windows 10 version
  3. For Windows 7 SP1: Apply the June 2016 security update (MS16-077) or later cumulative updates
  4. For Windows 8.1: Apply the June 2016 security update (MS16-077) or later cumulative updates
  5. For Windows Server 2008 SP2/R2 SP1: Apply the June 2016 security update (MS16-077) or later cumulative updates
  6. For Windows Server 2012/R2: Apply the June 2016 security update (MS16-077) or later cumulative updates
  7. For Windows Vista: Apply the June 2016 security update (MS16-077) if still supported
  8. Verify the patch was successfully installed by checking Windows Update history
Caveat Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Vista have reached end of support; continuing use poses security risks; upgrade to supported Windows versions

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

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-3236 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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