CVE-2010-0249
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."
do firstApply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Can a WAF block it? No. The vulnerability is triggered by a remote attacker through web content accessed in Internet Explorer, which processes HTTP responses. The exploit involves memory corruption in the browser's handling of objects, which looks like normal web content and cannot be reliably distinguished by a web application firewall.
Also consider: patch
Based on an AI reading of the CVE description, and no vendor rule found yet. We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.
Is CVE-2010-0249 being exploited?
Yes. CVE-2010-0249 appears in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, which means exploitation in the wild has been confirmed and reported. Treat it as active rather than theoretical, and patch it ahead of higher-scoring vulnerabilities that carry no exploitation evidence.
How severe is CVE-2010-0249?
CVE-2010-0249 is rated High with a CVSS score of 8.8. Severity describes how bad exploitation would be, not how likely it is: pair it with exploitation evidence before deciding what to patch first.
Is there a patch for CVE-2010-0249?
Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2010-0249. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.
What does CVE-2010-0249 affect?
CVE-2010-0249 affects microsoft:internet_explorer. Confirm the exact affected versions against the vendor advisory before deciding you are exposed.
Exploitation status reflects CISA's KEV catalog as we last synced it. Check the catalog directly.
public exploits
Public exploit code: 2 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module
- Microsoft Internet Explorer - 'Aurora' Memory Corruption (MS10-002) (Metasploit) · remote · 12 Jul 2010 · verified
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 - 'Aurora' Memory Corruption (MS10-002) · remote · 17 Jan 2010 · verified
- exploit/windows/browser/ms10_002_aurora · exploit · normal
Listed so you can judge urgency, not as a recommendation to run anything. GitHub “proofs of concept” are unvetted: some are fake or carry malware. Exploit-DB marks the entries its staff verified.
cisa ssvc
- exploitation
- active
- automatable
- no
- technical impact
- total
Assessed by CISA 20 May 2026 (SSVC 2.0.3).
timeline
- 15 Jan 2010Published
- 17 Jan 2010First public exploit or proof of concept · 1 day later
- 20 May 2026Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild) · 5,967 days (about 16 years) later
- 20 May 2026CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active · same day later
- 21 May 2026CVE record last updated · 1 day later
- 3 Jun 2026CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies) · 13 days later
- 2 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com · 153 days (about 5 months) later
- Advisorykb.cert.org /vuls/id/492515
- Advisorysupport.microsoft.com /kb/979352
- Advisoryus-cert.gov /cas/techalerts/TA10-055A.html
- Advisorydocs.microsoft.com /en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-002
- Exploitexploit-db.com /exploits/11167
- Linkmicrosoft.com /technet/security/advisory/979352.mspx
- Linkoval.cisecurity.org /repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6835
- Linkosvdb.org /61697
Show 7 more
- Linksecurityfocus.com /bid/37815
- Linkblogs.technet.com /msrc/archive/2010/01/14/security-advisory-979352.aspx
- Linkexchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com /vulnerabilities/55642
- Linknews.cnet.com /8301-27080_3-10435232-245.html
- Linksecuritytracker.com /id?1023462
- Linkvupen.com /english/advisories/2010/0135
- Linkcisa.gov /known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2010-0249
sources
- CVE List (CVE.org): description, affected versions, references; CVE Terms of Use
- NVD: CVSS and CPE data
- CISA KEV catalog: exploitation, date added, due date
- CISA Vulnrichment (ADP): SSVC decision points
- FIRST EPSS: exploit probability and percentile
- Exploit-DB: published exploits
- Metasploit Framework: exploit and scanner modules
- Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.