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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2016-7219

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2016-12-20
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

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 Crypto 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 obtain sensitive information via a crafted application, aka "Windows Crypto Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability."

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 an information disclosure vulnerability in the Windows Cryptographic Service Provider (CSP) or crypto driver. Local authenticated users can exploit a flaw in the driver to read sensitive cryptographic material or memory contents via a specially crafted application. The vulnerability does not allow code execution or privilege escalation, only unauthorized information disclosure.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update (MS16-123) to all affected Windows systems. This is a standard OS patch; there is no workaround. Prioritize servers and systems handling sensitive cryptographic 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 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
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 version and build number
    Affected if The system runs Windows 10 (any build), Windows 7 (any), Windows 8.1 (any), Windows Rt 8.1, Windows Server 2008/2008 R2, Windows Server 2012/2012 R2, Windows Server 2016, or Windows Vista (any)
  2. Verify MS16-123 security update is installed
    Run 'wmic qfe list | findstr "KB3199168"' or check Windows Update history for security update KB3199168
    Affected if The update KB3199168 is NOT installed - the system remains vulnerable
  3. Check cryptographic driver file version
    Locate the affected crypto driver (crypt32.dll typically in C:\Windows\System32\) and check its file version via right-click Properties or 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\crypt32.dll).VersionInfo'
    Affected if The crypt32.dll version is older than the patched version released with MS16-123 (patched versions vary by Windows version)
  4. Verify CNG driver version if applicable
    If the system uses CNG (Cryptographic Next Generation), check cng.sys version in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\ using 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\cng.sys).VersionInfo'
    Affected if The cng.sys version is older than the patched version for the specific Windows build

The system is affected if it runs any version within the affected Windows families (7, 8.1, 10, Vista, Server 2008/2012/2016, Rt 8.1) AND the MS16-123 update (KB3199168) 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 the Microsoft security update (MS16-123) to all affected Windows systems. This is a standard OS patch; there is no workaround. Prioritize servers and systems handling sensitive cryptographic operations.

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,130
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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-2016-7219 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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