CVE-2010-0232
Microsoft Windows Kernel Exception Handler Vulnerability
- High 7.8
- Exploited: added to CISA KEV 3 Mar 2022
Description
The kernel in Microsoft Windows NT 3.1 through Windows 7, including Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista Gold, SP1, and SP2, and Windows Server 2008 Gold and SP2, when access to 16-bit applications is enabled on a 32-bit x86 platform, does not properly validate certain BIOS calls, which allows local users to gain privileges by crafting a VDM_TIB data structure in the Thread Environment Block (TEB), and then calling the NtVdmControl function to start the Windows Virtual DOS Machine (aka NTVDM) subsystem, leading to improperly handled exceptions involving the #GP trap handler (nt!KiTrap0D), aka "Windows Kernel Exception Handler Vulnerability."
Key facts
- Published
- 21 Jan 2010
- Last changed
- 22 Oct 2025
- Assigned by
- microsoft
- KEV added
- 3 Mar 2022
- KEV fix due
- 24 Mar 2022
- EPSS
- 28.735% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 98.173% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
- SSVC (CISA)
- Exploitation: active; Automatable: no; Technical impact: total
Severity scores
Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.
- 7.8CVSS 3.1, Highfrom CISA (ADP container)
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
What to do
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.CISA KEV required action
Historical context and remediation
This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.
No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.
Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | n/a |
|
Timeline
- 21 Jan 2010 Published
- 3 Mar 2022 CVE-2010-0232 added to CISA KEV
- 3 Mar 2022 Added to the CISA KEV catalogue
References
- [dailydave] 20100119 We hold these axioms to be self evident
- lock.cmpxchg8b.com
- blogs.technet.com
- MS10-015
- www.microsoft.com
- TA10-040A
- 1023471
- 20100119 Microsoft Windows NT #GP Trap Handler Allows Users to Switch Kernel Stack
- ADV-2010-0179
- 37864
- 38265
- 20100119 Microsoft Windows NT #GP Trap Handler Allows Users to Switch Kernel Stack
- ms-win-gptrap-privilege-escalation(55742)
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:8344