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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 5 Apr 2022. Known ransomware use
Windows 7Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2017-0101

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2017-03-17
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit No privileges Patch available

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 kernel-mode drivers in Transaction Manager in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2; 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 allow local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Windows 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

A vulnerability in the kernel-mode drivers of Windows Transaction Manager allows local authenticated users to execute arbitrary code with elevated (kernel) privileges via a specially crafted application, enabling complete system compromise.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update (MS17-013) to all affected Windows systems. Restrict local user privileges and monitor for suspicious applications exploiting this vulnerability.

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 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating 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:3.1/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
    Run 'winver' or check System Properties. Confirm the OS is Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008.
    Affected if The system runs any version of Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008.
  2. Verify MS17-013 patch installation
    Open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates. Search for security update KB4012212 (Windows 7/Server 2008) or KB4012204 (Windows Vista). Alternatively, run 'wmic qfe list' to list installed hotfixes.
    Affected if The MS17-013 security update is NOT installed.
  3. Check ntoskrnl.exe version
    Locate ntoskrnl.exe (typically in C:\Windows\System32). Right-click > Properties > Details tab > File version. Compare against the patched version: 6.1.7601.23677 (Win7/2008 R2) or 6.0.6002.19790 (Vista).
    Affected if The ntoskrnl.exe file version is lower than the patched versions, indicating the vulnerability is unpatched.
  4. Confirm Transaction Manager driver status
    Check the Windows Transaction Manager service (MSDTC) is running. Run 'services.msc' and locate 'Distributed Transaction Coordinator'. Verify the service is enabled or was recently accessed.
    Affected if The system is an affected Windows version without the MS17-013 patch applied, making it vulnerable to local privilege escalation via the Transaction Manager driver.

A user is affected if their system runs Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008 AND the MS17-013 security update (KB4012212 or KB4012204) 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.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch portal.msrc.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update (MS17-013) to all affected Windows systems. Restrict local user privileges and monitor for suspicious applications exploiting this vulnerability.

Recommended fix High confidence

Microsoft ended support for Windows Vista (July 2017), Windows 7 (January 2020), and Windows Server 2008 (January 2020). For Windows 7/Server 2008 R2, upgrade to Windows 10 or Windows Server 2016/2019. For Windows Vista, no upgrade path available from Microsoft; migrate to a supported OS.

  1. Identify the installed Windows version and Service Pack by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo'
  2. For Windows 7 SP1: Install KB4012215 (March 2017 Monthly Rollup) or KB4012212 (Security Only Update) from the Microsoft Update Catalog
  3. For Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1: Install KB4012218 (March 2017 Monthly Rollup) or KB4012213 (Security Only Update)
  4. For Windows Vista SP2: Install KB4012583 (March 2017 Security Update)
  5. Alternatively, enable automatic Windows Update to receive the March 2017 security updates which include the fix for this vulnerability
  6. Verify the patch is installed by checking 'Installed Updates' or running 'systeminfo' and confirming the security patch KB4012598 or related March 2017 patches are listed
  7. Reboot the system as required after patch installation
Caveat Patches for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 require SP1. Windows Vista is end-of-life with no further security updates available. Ensure application compatibility before upgrading.

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 7 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

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-2017-0101 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