# CVE-2012-1868: Race condition in n/a

> Local attackers can exploit a race condition in win32k.sys to escalate privileges on Windows XP systems.

- **Severity:** Medium 6.9 (`AV:L/AC:M/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:** 12 Jun 2012
- **Updated:** 6 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gq3j-r743-mx26

## What is CVE-2012-1868?

CVE-2012-1868 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Xp, published on 12 Jun 2012. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Race condition in the thread-creation implementation in win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows XP SP3 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k.sys Race Condition Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2012-1868?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Microsoft Windows Xp.

## How do I fix CVE-2012-1868?

No fix has been published for CVE-2012-1868 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2012-1868 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2012-1868 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows Xp

- [CVE-2012-1852](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1852/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2012-1853](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1853/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2009-0119](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0119/): Memory corruption in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2007-1946](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-1946/): Integer overflow in n/a (critical 10.0)
- [CVE-2005-3595](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2005-3595/): Hardcoded credentials in n/a (critical 10.0)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2012-1868 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2012-1868 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Xp, published on 12 Jun 2012. 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-2012-1868 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Microsoft Windows Xp. 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-2012-1868/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1868/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2012-1868
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2012-1868
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2012-1868

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2012-1868/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.