# CVE-2010-0481: Path traversal in n/a

> Local attackers can cause a system reboot by exploiting improper virtual path translation in the Windows kernel.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** No
- **Published:** 14 Apr 2010
- **Updated:** 21 Jan 2025
- **Also known as:** GHSA-2wgx-r6j7-j62r

## What is CVE-2010-0481?

CVE-2010-0481 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 7, published on 14 Apr 2010. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The kernel in Microsoft Windows Vista Gold, SP1, and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2, and R2, and Windows 7 does not properly translate a registry key's virtual path to its real path, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (reboot) via a crafted application, aka "Windows Virtual Path Parsing Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-22 (Improper Limitation of a Pathname to a Restricted Directory)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2010-0481?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows Vista.

## How do I fix CVE-2010-0481?

No fix has been published for CVE-2010-0481 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2010-0481 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2010-0481 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 7

- [CVE-2015-1635](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-1635/): Microsoft HTTP.sys Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2360](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2360/): Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-6324](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-6324/): Microsoft Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) Privilege Escalation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-6332](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-6332/): Microsoft Windows Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) Automation Array Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2014-4148](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2014-4148/): Microsoft Windows Remote Code Execution (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2010-0481 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2010-0481 is a medium-severity path traversal vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 7, published on 14 Apr 2010. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2010-0481 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Microsoft Windows 7. 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-2010-0481/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0481/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2010-0481
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2010-0481
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2010-0481

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0481/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.