# CVE-2004-0210: Microsoft Windows Privilege Escalation

> Local attackers can execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges via a buffer overflow in the Windows POSIX component.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Yes, since 3 Mar 2022 (CISA KEV)
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Jul 2004
- **Updated:** 22 Oct 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-867p-9w54-69hp

## What is CVE-2004-0210?

CVE-2004-0210 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 2000, published on 14 Jul 2004. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The POSIX component of Microsoft Windows NT and Windows 2000 allows local users to execute arbitrary code via certain parameters, possibly by modifying message length values and causing a buffer overflow.

Weakness: CWE-120 (Buffer Copy without Checking Size of Input)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2004-0210?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Microsoft Interix, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Nt.

## How do I fix CVE-2004-0210?

No fix has been published for CVE-2004-0210 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 24 Mar 2022.

## Is CVE-2004-0210 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2004-0210 in the wild since at least 3 Mar 2022.

Public exploit code:

- Microsoft Windows NT 4.0/2000 - POSIX Subsystem Local Buffer Overflow / Local Privilege Escalation (MS04-020) (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 2000

- [CVE-2002-0020](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0020/): Buffer overflow in telnet server in Windows 2000 and Interix 2.2 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via malformed protocol options. (high 7.5)
- [CVE-2009-0537](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0537/): Integer overflow in n/a (medium 4.9)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2004-0210 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2004-0210 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 2000, published on 14 Jul 2004. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2004-0210 in the wild since at least 3 Mar 2022.

Affected product: Microsoft Windows 2000. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0210/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0210/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2004-0210
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2004-0210
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2004-0210

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2004-0210/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.