CVE-2010-0249

Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free

8.8 HIGHActively exploited (CISA KEV)Public exploitEPSS 91.9%

Published15 Jan 2010
Added to CISA KEV20 May 2026
Remediation due3 Jun 2026

Description

Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 6 SP1, 7, and 8 on 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 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by accessing a pointer associated with a deleted object, related to incorrectly initialized memory and improper handling of objects in memory, as exploited in the wild in December 2009 and January 2010 during Operation Aurora, aka "HTML Object Memory Corruption Vulnerability."

CVSS 3.1 breakdown

Attack vectorNetwork

Attack complexityLow

Privileges requiredNone

User interactionRequired

ScopeUnchanged

ConfidentialityHigh

IntegrityHigh

AvailabilityHigh

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Affected products

Microsoft Internet Explorer5.0.1 · 6 · 7.0 · 8

Remediation

No fixed version is recorded in the NVD data. Check the vendor advisory for the latest guidance.

Patch & vendor advisories

References

http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/01/14/security-advisory-979352.aspxBroken LinkVendor Advisory
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10435232-245.htmlBroken Link
http://osvdb.org/61697Broken Link
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-002PatchVendor Advisory
http://securitytracker.com/id?1023462Broken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/55642Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6835Broken Link
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979352PatchVendor Advisory
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2010-0249US Government Resource
http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/11167ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry

and 5 more references

Related CVEs

Recent high-severity vulnerabilities sharing a weakness type.

Frequently asked

Is CVE-2010-0249 being actively exploited?

Yes. CVE-2010-0249 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added 20 May 2026.

How severe is CVE-2010-0249?

CVE-2010-0249 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.8, rated high. EPSS estimates a 91.9% probability of exploitation.

Which products are affected by CVE-2010-0249?

Affected products include Microsoft Internet Explorer.

How do I fix CVE-2010-0249?

Apply the vendor's patch or advisory guidance, then verify no affected versions remain across your devices.

How Secuno handles this

Secuno correlates vulnerabilities like CVE-2010-0249 against the real software inventory on every managed device, every day. Rather than a static severity, each match is scored in context: exploit availability, EPSS, the asset's exposure, and business criticality decide where it lands in the queue. Because it is on the CISA KEV list, Secuno flags any affected asset as top-priority automatically. If an affected version is present anywhere across your portfolio, it surfaces automatically with a prioritised remediation path.

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Data from the NVD, CISA KEV catalog and FIRST EPSS. CVSS 3.1 base score shown where available.