# CVE-2010-0231: Weak cryptography in n/a

> Remote attackers can spoof authentication tokens due to insufficient entropy in SMB challenges, gaining unauthorized access to files and resources.

- **Severity:** Critical 10.0 (`AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 10 Feb 2010
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-jvfw-7f9c-qp8r

## What is CVE-2010-0231?

CVE-2010-0231 is a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 2000, published on 10 Feb 2010. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The SMB implementation in the Server service in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista Gold, SP1, and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2, and R2, and Windows 7 does not use a sufficient source of entropy, which allows remote attackers to obtain access to files and other SMB resources via a large number of authentication requests, related to server-generated challenges, certain "duplicate values," and spoofing of an authentication token, aka "SMB NTLM Authentication Lack of Entropy Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-310, CWE-264

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2010-0231?

It affects 6 products.


Products: Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 2003 Server, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Xp.

## How do I fix CVE-2010-0231?

No fix has been published for CVE-2010-0231 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2010-0231 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2010-0231 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Microsoft Windows - NTLM Weak Nonce (MS10-012) (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 2000

- [CVE-2008-4250](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2008-4250/): Microsoft Windows Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2010-0232](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0232/): Microsoft Windows Kernel Exception Handler (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2009-1123](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-1123/): Microsoft Windows Improper Input Validation (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2002-0367](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2002-0367/): Microsoft Windows Privilege Escalation (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2010-0269](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0269/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2010-0231 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2010-0231 is a critical vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 2000, published on 10 Feb 2010. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2010-0231 exists.

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-2010-0231/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0231/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2010-0231
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2010-0231
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2010-0231

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0231/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.