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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2016-3333

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-2016-3332, 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

This is a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) kernel-mode driver. A local attacker with the ability to run a specially crafted application can elevate privileges from a standard user to SYSTEM level by exploiting improper validation or handling in the CLFS driver.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2016-3333, released as part of the relevant 2016 Patch Tuesday cycle. On affected systems, verify the CLFS.sys driver version has been updated and ensure Windows Update is configured for automatic 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= 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. Locate the CLFS.sys driver file
    Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\, or run `dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\clfs.sys` in Command Prompt. If the file exists, the system uses the Common Log File System driver.
    Affected if The CLFS.sys file exists on the system (vulnerable driver is present).
  2. Retrieve CLFS.sys file version
    Right-click clfs.sys, select Properties, then Details tab. Alternatively, run `powershell (Get-Item 'C:\Windows\System32\drivers\clfs.sys').VersionInfo` or `wmic datafile where "name='C:\\\\Windows\\\\System32\\\\drivers\\\\clfs.sys'" get Version` in Command Prompt.
    Affected if A version number is returned, indicating the installed driver version.
  3. Compare against known affected versions
    Compare the obtained version number against the affected product versions listed for CVE-2016-3333. Research the specific file versions corresponding to the patch for this CVE (KB3177725 and related updates).
    Affected if The CLFS.sys version falls within the unpatched version range for the affected Windows versions listed.
  4. Verify patch installation status
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates, or run `wmic qfe list` in Command Prompt. Search for security updates installed around July 2016 (the patch release date for CVE-2016-3333).
    Affected if No corresponding security update from July 2016 or later is installed.

If CLFS.sys exists and its version has not been updated to the patched version released in the July 2016 security updates, the system is vulnerable to privilege escalation via this CVE.

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 for CVE-2016-3333, released as part of the relevant 2016 Patch Tuesday cycle. On affected systems, verify the CLFS.sys driver version has been updated and ensure Windows Update is configured for automatic security updates.

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
10.0 hours of engineering $1,750
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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-2016-3333 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