# CVE-2010-2549: Use after free in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit a use-after-free in Windows kernel drivers to escalate privileges or crash the system via specific API calls.

- **Severity:** High 7.2 (`AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C`)
- **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:** 2 Jul 2010
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-phf6-cv26-j3qq

## What is CVE-2010-2549?

CVE-2010-2549 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008, published on 2 Jul 2010. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Use-after-free vulnerability in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Vista SP1 and SP2 and Server 2008 Gold and SP2 allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (system crash) by using a large number of calls to the NtUserCheckAccessForIntegrityLevel function to trigger a failure in the LockProcessByClientId function, leading to deletion of an in-use process object, aka "Win32k Reference Count Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-399

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2010-2549?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows Vista.

## How do I fix CVE-2010-2549?

No fix has been published for CVE-2010-2549 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2010-2549 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2010-2549 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Microsoft Windows Vista/2008 - NtUserCheckAccessForIntegrityLevel Use-After-Free (exploitdb)

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows Server 2008

- [CVE-2020-1350](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1350/): Microsoft Windows DNS Server Remote Code Execution (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-1040](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-1040/): Microsoft Hyper-V RemoteFX vGPU Remote Code Execution (critical 9.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2011-1966](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2011-1966/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2010-0239](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0239/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2010-0240](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-0240/): Code injection in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2010-2549 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2010-2549 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008, published on 2 Jul 2010. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2010-2549 exists.

Affected product: Microsoft Windows Server 2008. 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-2010-2549/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-2549/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2010-2549
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2010-2549
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2010-2549

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2010-2549/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.