CVE-2016-7253
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 · uneditedThe agent in Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP2, 2012 SP3, 2014 SP1, 2014 SP2, and 2016 does not properly check the atxcore.dll ACL, which allows remote authenticated users to gain privileges via unspecified vectors, aka "SQL Server Agent 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 · high confidenceThe SQL Server Agent in Microsoft SQL Server 2012 SP2/SP3, 2014 SP1/SP2, and 2016 fails to properly validate the Access Control List (ACL) on atxcore.dll. This allows remote authenticated users to manipulate the DLL and escalate privileges to execute code with elevated permissions via the SQL Server Agent service context.
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= 2012= 2014CVSS 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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Identify installed SQL Server versionRun query 'SELECT @@VERSION' in SQL Server Management Studio or use: sqlcmd -S localhost -E -Q 'SELECT @@VERSION'Affected if Version is SQL Server 2012 SP2/SP3, 2014 SP1/SP2, or 2016 (any build within these version ranges)
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Confirm SQL Server Agent service is in useCheck if SQL Server Agent service exists and is running: Open Services.msc and look for 'SQL Server Agent (instance_name)', or run 'Get-Service *SQL*Agent*' in PowerShellAffected if SQL Server Agent service is present and running on the affected SQL Server version
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Locate atxcore.dll fileSearch for atxcore.dll in the SQL Server Binn directory. Typical paths: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQLnn.INSTANCE_NAME\MSSQL\Binn\ or C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQLnn.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Binn\ (nn is version number: 12 for 2014, 13 for 2016)Affected if atxcore.dll exists in the SQL Server Binn directory
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Inspect ACL on atxcore.dllRight-click atxcore.dll in File Explorer, go to Properties > Security tab, click Advanced. Check the 'Access' entries for permissions granted to users/groups. Alternatively, run 'icacls "path\to\atxcore.dll"' in Command PromptAffected if Any non-privileged authenticated user has Write, Modify, or Full Control permissions on atxcore.dll (improper ACL that allows manipulation)
User is affected if running SQL Server 2012 SP2/SP3, 2014 SP1/SP2, or 2016 with SQL Server Agent enabled and atxcore.dll has overly permissive ACL allowing authenticated users to modify the DLL.
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 Microsoft security update MS16-136 (CVE-2016-7253) to affected SQL Server installations, or upgrade to a patched version. Verify ACL permissions on atxcore.dll after patching.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2016-7253 — 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-2016-7253 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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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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