# CVE-2017-0103: Privilege escalation in Windows Registry

> Local attackers can gain elevated privileges by exploiting a memory handling flaw in the Windows Registry kernel API.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 17 Mar 2017
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-7w5q-mhrq-jhm4

## What is CVE-2017-0103?

CVE-2017-0103 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 7, published on 17 Mar 2017. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The kernel API in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, and Windows Server 2012 mishandles registry objects in memory, which allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Windows Registry Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-119 (Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-0103?

It affects 4 products.


Products: Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows Server 2012, Microsoft Windows Vista.

## How do I fix CVE-2017-0103?

No fix has been published for CVE-2017-0103 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.

## Is CVE-2017-0103 being exploited?

It is not confirmed as exploited in the wild, but public exploit code for CVE-2017-0103 exists.

Public exploit code:

- Microsoft Windows Kernel - Registry Hive Loading Crashes in nt!nt!HvpGetBinMemAlloc / nt!ExpFindAndRemoveTagBigPages (MS17-017) (exploitdb)

## 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-2017-0103 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2017-0103 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 7, published on 17 Mar 2017. 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-2017-0103 exists.

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-2017-0103/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-0103/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2017-0103
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-0103
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2017-0103

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2017-0103/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.