Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2010-0232
CVE-2010-0232
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Windows kernel fails to properly validate BIOS calls when 16-bit application access is enabled on 32-bit x86 platforms, allowing local users to escalate privileges.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows kernel BIOS call validation. Affects systems with 16-bit application support enabled on 32-bit x86 architecture. Exploited in the wild with high EPSS score.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Public proof-of-concept exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
4 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-03).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.29253 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Microsoft, Windows. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-264 Permissions/Privileges/Access Control — weakness family: Authorization / access control.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I execute a 16-bit application on a vulnerable 32-bit Windows system to trigger unvalidated BIOS calls.
Business
An unprivileged user account becomes compromised, enabling lateral movement and data exfiltration.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I bypass kernel validation checks to escalate my privileges from user to system level.
Business
Attackers gain administrative control, allowing installation of malware, rootkits, or persistent backdoors.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I maintain elevated access to modify system files, disable security controls, and establish persistence.
Business
Complete system compromise occurs with loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability of business-critical data.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05