CVE-2016-7250
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 · uneditedMicrosoft SQL Server 2014 SP1, 2014 SP2, and 2016 does not properly perform a cast of an unspecified pointer, which allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via unknown vectors, aka "SQL RDBMS Engine Elevation of Privilege 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 · moderate confidenceThis is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Microsoft SQL Server 2014 SP1, SP2, and 2016 where the database engine improperly performs a pointer cast, allowing authenticated remote database users to escalate their privileges to higher levels within the SQL Server instance.
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= 2014= 2016CVSS 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check SQL Server version installedRun 'SELECT @@VERSION' in SQL Server Management Studio or execute 'sqlcmd -S servername -Q "SELECT @@VERSION"' from command lineAffected if The version shown is Microsoft SQL Server 2014 or 2016 (any edition)
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Identify exact build numberRun 'SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion')' and 'SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('ProductLevel')' to get the build and service packAffected if Build corresponds to unpatched SQL Server 2014 SP1, SP2, or SQL Server 2016 (exact build numbers not in scope)
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Confirm SQL Server service is runningOpen Services console (services.msc) and look for 'SQL Server (MSSQLSERVER)' or check via PowerShell: 'Get-Service *SQL*'Affected if SQL Server service is running and accepting connections
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Check if remote connections are enabledIn SQL Server Configuration Manager, expand SQL Server Network Configuration and verify TCP/IP or named pipes protocols are enabled for remote accessAffected if Network protocols are enabled allowing remote client connections
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Verify authentication mode and exposed surfaceCheck server authentication mode: right-click server in SSMS > Properties > Security. Also check: 'SELECT * FROM sys.server_permissions' for current user permissionsAffected if SQL Server allows remote authentication and unauthenticated or low-privilege users can connect
You are affected if SQL Server 2014 or 2016 is running with remote access enabled and the installed build has not been patched for this vulnerability.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2016-7250 to affected SQL Server installations; this is a critical patch for database servers accessible to authenticated users.
- Consultation4.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing8.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,928.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-7250 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2016-7250 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- 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
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