CVE-2016-3249
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 drivers 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 allow local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-3252, CVE-2016-3254, and CVE-2016-3286.
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 kernel-mode driver vulnerability allowing local authenticated users to elevate privileges to SYSTEM/Administrator through a crafted application. The flaw exists in the Win32k component that handles Windows GUI subsystem kernel-mode operations.
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
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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.
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Identify Windows version and buildOpen Command Prompt and run: `winver` or `systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"`Affected if The version displayed is Windows 10 (any build), Windows 8.1, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Rt 8.1 and does not have KB3170059 applied
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Check if security update KB3170059 is installedOpen Command Prompt and run: `wmic qfe list | findstr "3170059"` or check via Control Panel > Programs > View installed updatesAffected if KB3170059 is NOT listed in the installed updates, indicating the patch has not been applied
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Verify Win32k.sys component presenceCheck file version: `dir C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys` or `powershell Get-ItemProperty C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys | Select-Object VersionInfo`Affected if File exists (standard on Windows GUI installations) - this confirms the vulnerable component is present on the system
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Confirm system is not Windows Server CoreRun: `systeminfo | findstr "Installation Type"` - if it shows "Server Core" the GUI subsystem may be minimal, though win32k.sys may still be presentAffected if System uses full GUI desktop (not Server Core) and is an affected Windows version without the KB3170059 update applied
A system is affected if it runs any Windows 7, Vista, 8.1, 10 (including 1511), Windows Server 2008/2008 R2, Windows Server 2012/2012 R2, or Windows Rt 8.1, has the Win32k.sys component present (standard GUI Windows), and does NOT have security update KB3170059 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 update KB3170059 (or subsequent superseded patch) to affected Windows versions. For systems where patching is delayed, restrict local user permissions, enforce UAC, and monitor for indicators of local privilege escalation attempts.
- 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-2016-3249 — 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-2016-3249 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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