CVE-2010-0249
Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free Vulnerability
Does this matter?
Known to be exploited in the wild (CISA KEV, CISA remediation deadline 3 June 2026). Treat as an emergency change: patch or isolate now, then hunt for prior compromise.
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
- 8.8 HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- EPSS
- 91.94% probability · 100th percentile
- Public exploits
- 2 in Exploit-DB · verified · first 17 January 2010
- CISA KEV
- Listed 20 May 2026 · due 3 June 2026
- Weakness
- CWE-416
- Affected
- microsoft/internet explorer
- Source
- secure@microsoft.com
EPSS 91.9% since 27 October 2026; no change recorded yet. The dashed line is the ten per cent mark our analysts treat as “patch before the next change window”. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.
CISA notes
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/SecurityAdvisories/2010/979352 ; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2010-0249
Public exploits (2)
Entries in Exploit-DB that cite this CVE. Links go to the Exploit-DB page and to the file in the public repository; nothing is hosted here. A verified tick means the Exploit-DB team confirmed the exploit works against the stated version.
| EDB-ID | Title | Type | Published | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDB-16599source ↗ | Microsoft Internet Explorer - 'Aurora' Memory Corruption (MS10-002) (Metasploit)windows · Metasploit | remote | 12 July 2010 | yes |
| EDB-11167source ↗ | Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 - 'Aurora' Memory Corruption (MS10-002)windows · Ahmed Obied | remote | 17 January 2010 | yes |
References
- http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/01/14/security-advisory-979352.aspxBroken Link, Vendor Advisory
- http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10435232-245.htmlBroken Link
- http://osvdb.org/61697Broken Link
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1023462Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979352Patch, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/11167Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/492515Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/979352.mspxBroken Link, Patch, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37815Broken Link, Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-055A.htmlBroken Link, Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/0135Broken Link
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-002Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/55642Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6835Broken Link
- http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/01/14/security-advisory-979352.aspxBroken Link, Vendor Advisory
- http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10435232-245.htmlBroken Link
- http://osvdb.org/61697Broken Link
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1023462Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979352Patch, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/11167Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/492515Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/979352.mspxBroken Link, Patch, Vendor Advisory
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37815Broken Link, Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-055A.htmlBroken Link, Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/0135Broken Link
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-002Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/55642Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6835Broken Link
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2010-0249US Government Resource
Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.