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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2016-7184

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-2016-3338, CVE-2016-3340, CVE-2016-3342, and CVE-2016-3343.

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 local privilege escalation vulnerability exists in the Windows Common Log File System (CLFS) driver. The vulnerability allows a local attacker with limited privileges to execute arbitrary code with elevated (kernel) privileges by running a specially crafted application. This is a kernel-mode driver flaw that can be exploited to escalate from low-privileged user account to SYSTEM-level access.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2016-7184, which patches the CLFS driver vulnerability. Prioritize patching on systems where untrusted local users may have access, such as multi-user workstations, terminal servers, and systems hosting shared resources.

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 and build
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the exact Windows edition and build number
    Affected if The version matches Windows 10 (1511 or 1607), Windows 7 (any), Windows 8.1 (any), Windows Rt 8.1 (any), Windows Server 2008 (any), 2008 R2, 2012 (any), 2012 R2, Windows Server 2016 (any), or Windows Vista (any)
  2. Locate the CLFS driver
    Check for the presence of clfs.sys in the system directory using 'dir C:\Windows\System32\drivers\clfs.sys' or 'Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\clfs.sys'
    Affected if The clfs.sys file exists on the system (this driver is present by default in affected Windows versions)
  3. Check CLFS driver file version
    Right-click clfs.sys, select Properties, then view the Details tab for File Version, or run 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\clfs.sys).VersionInfo'
    Affected if The file version is older than the patched version. Compare against Microsoft's security bulletin MS16-110 for the corrected version numbers for your specific Windows build.
  4. Verify security patch installation
    Run 'powershell Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -eq "Security Update"} | Select-Object HotFixID,InstalledOn' and look for KB3188703 (the patch for CVE-2016-7184)
    Affected if The security update KB3188703 is NOT installed on the system
  5. Assess local user access
    Check for the presence of non-administrative local or domain user accounts using 'net user' or 'Get-LocalUser' in PowerShell
    Affected if There are multiple user accounts on the system, especially untrusted or low-privileged accounts, as the exploit requires a local attacker with limited privileges to execute the malicious application

The system is likely vulnerable if it runs an affected Windows version listed, contains clfs.sys, lacks KB3188703, and permits local user access from non-privileged accounts.

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-2016-7184, which patches the CLFS driver vulnerability. Prioritize patching on systems where untrusted local users may have access, such as multi-user workstations, terminal servers, and systems hosting shared resources.

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
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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-2016-7184 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