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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2016-3338

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-2016-3333, CVE-2016-3334, CVE-2016-3335, 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

Local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver. A local attacker with the ability to execute a crafted application can elevate their privileges to SYSTEM or other high-privilege contexts by exploiting improper handling of objects in the CLFS driver.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates from MS16-101 (July 2016) or later cumulative updates that address CVE-2016-3338. Prioritize patching domain controllers and servers given the local privilege escalation risk.

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' from the Run dialog or execute 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt and note the OS version and build number
    Affected if The version is Windows 10 (any build), Windows 7 (any), Windows 8.1 (any), Windows Rt 8.1 (any), Windows Server 2008 (any), Windows Server 2012 (any), Windows Server 2016 (any), or Windows Vista (any)
  2. Locate the CLFS driver
    Open Command Prompt and run 'sc query clfs' to query the CLFS service status, or check for C:\Windows\System32\clfs.sys
    Affected if The CLFS driver (clfs.sys) exists on the system and is running as a service
  3. Check CLFS driver file version
    Right-click clfs.sys in C:\Windows\System32\, select Properties, then view the Details tab for File Version; alternatively run 'wmic datafile where "name='C:\\Windows\\System32\\clfs.sys'" get Version'
    Affected if The driver file version is lower than the patched version released in MS16-101 (July 2016)
  4. Verify security update installation
    Run 'wmic qfe list' or open Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates, then search for update KB3178465 (July 2016, MS16-101) or later cumulative updates
    Affected if The system is missing the MS16-101 security update (KB3178465) or subsequent updates that address CVE-2016-3338

The system is vulnerable if it runs an affected Windows version, the CLFS driver is present, and the MS16-101 update (KB3178465) or later is not installed.

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 Microsoft security updates from MS16-101 (July 2016) or later cumulative updates that address CVE-2016-3338. Prioritize patching domain controllers and servers given the local privilege escalation risk.

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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Scan for this in your stack

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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-2016-3338 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