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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2016-7292

HIGH · 7.8 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 →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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 Installer 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 mishandles library loading, which allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Windows Installer 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 confidence

CVE-2016-7292 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Installer component across Windows Vista through Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016. The vulnerability stems from improper library loading (DLL side-loading), allowing a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by tricking the Windows Installer into loading a malicious DLL.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security updates (MS16-148 and subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Windows versions. For systems no longer receiving patches, implement application whitelisting and restrict write access to directories in the DLL search path.

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
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Windows version is affected
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to identify the Windows edition and version. Cross-reference with the affected list: Windows Vista, 7, 8.1, Rt 8.1, 10 (all versions including 1511 and 1607), Server 2008, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2, or Server 2016.
    Affected if The installed Windows version matches any of the affected products listed in the CVE data.
  2. Check if MS16-148 security update is installed
    Open PowerShell and run: 'Get-HotFix -Id KB3205386' or 'Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.Description -like "Security Update"} | Select-Object HotFixID,InstalledOn' to list installed security updates. Look specifically for KB3205386 which corresponds to MS16-148.
    Affected if The security update KB3205386 (MS16-148) is NOT installed on the system.
  3. Check for subsequent cumulative updates
    If MS16-148 is not directly listed, run 'Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.InstalledOn -gt [DateTime]("12/13/2016")}' to verify if later cumulative updates are installed. The CVE was addressed in MS16-148 and subsequent updates.
    Affected if No security updates dated December 2016 or later are installed on the system.
  4. Verify Windows Installer service status
    Run 'sc query msiserver' to confirm the Windows Installer service (msiserver) exists. The DLL side-loading flaw is triggered when Windows Installer loads libraries from insecure paths.
    Affected if The Windows Installer service is present and operational on the system (default state for all affected Windows versions).

The system is likely affected if it runs any affected Windows version (Vista, 7, 8.1, 10, Server 2008/2012/2016) AND lacks the MS16-148 security update (KB3205386) or subsequent cumulative updates.

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 updates (MS16-148 and subsequent cumulative updates) to all affected Windows versions. For systems no longer receiving patches, implement application whitelisting and restrict write access to directories in the DLL search path.

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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dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2016-7292 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