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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2016-3332

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-11-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

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 Common Log File System (CLFS) 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, Windows 10 Gold, 1511, and 1607, and Windows Server 2016 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Windows Common Log File System Driver Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0026, CVE-2016-3333, CVE-2016-3334, CVE-2016-3335, CVE-2016-3338, CVE-2016-3340, CVE-2016-3342, CVE-2016-3343, and CVE-2016-7184.

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

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver affecting multiple Windows versions. Local attackers can exploit this by running a crafted application to elevate their privileges from standard user to higher system-level access. This is one of multiple related CLFS vulnerabilities discovered in 2016.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update (MS16-077) that addresses this CLFS driver vulnerability. Prioritize patching systems exposed to untrusted users, as exploitation requires local access but can result in complete system compromise.

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= 1607
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 Server 2016Operating system
Affected:all versions
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
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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 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 10 (all versions, 1511, 1607), Windows 7 (all versions), Windows 8.1 (all versions), Windows Rt 8.1 (all versions), Windows Server 2008 (all versions, R2), Windows Server 2012 (all versions, R2), Windows Server 2016 (all versions), or Windows Vista (all versions)
  2. Verify CLFS driver presence
    Check if the Common Log File System driver exists by running 'sc query clfs' or checking for C:\Windows\System32\clfs.sys
    Affected if The CLFS driver (clfs.sys) is present on the system, which is required for the vulnerability to be exploitable
  3. Check for MS16-077 security update
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or check Windows Update history for security update KB3164035 or KB3172729, which contain the fix for this vulnerability
    Affected if The MS16-077 security update (KB3164035 for most systems, KB3172729 for some) is NOT installed, meaning the system is unpatched and vulnerable
  4. Assess local user exposure
    Review local user accounts using 'net user' and check which users have interactive logon rights. Identify if there are untrusted or low-privilege users on the system
    Affected if There are multiple local users or untrusted accounts with standard user privileges who could run a crafted exploit to elevate to SYSTEM level access

A system is affected if it runs any of the listed Windows versions, has the CLFS driver present, and is missing the MS16-077 security update, particularly if untrusted local users have access to log on to the system.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update (MS16-077) that addresses this CLFS driver vulnerability. Prioritize patching systems exposed to untrusted users, as exploitation requires local access but can result in complete system compromise.

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,900
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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-2016-3332 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