CVE-2013-3660

The EPATHOBJ::pprFlattenRec function in win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012 does not properly initialize a pointer for the next object in a certain list, which allows local users to obtain write access to the PATHRECORD chain, and consequently gain privileges, by triggering excessive consumption of paged memory and then making many FlattenPath function calls, aka "Win32k Read AV Vulnerability."

CVSS: 7.8Highscored by CISA
Exploited in the wild: Yes, in CISA KEV since 28 Mar 2022CISA deadline for US federal agencies: 18 Apr 2022public exploit code
EPSS: 39.3%chance of exploitation in the next 30 daystop 2% of scored CVEsFIRST score of 11 Nov 2026
Fix: Patch availablesee the advisories in the references
Published: 24 May 2013analysed here 12 Nov 2026

Do first. Apply updates per vendor instructions. (CISA's required action for this KEV entry)

Summary

Triage

Attack surface: Server-side
Exploitable: At runtime
Attack vector: local
Weakness: CWE-119 Buffer Boundary Error
Can a WAF block it?: No. See why

The summary, impact and action text on this page are written by our AI analysis pipeline, or taken from the NVD description when a CVE was imported from NVD. They are not the vendor's wording: check them against the sources. A longer AI executive summary and technical analysis are generated for signed-in accounts on the Max plan.

Affected products

Products named in our analysis

microsoft:windows_7
microsoft:windows_8
microsoft:windows_rt
microsoft:windows_server_2003
microsoft:windows_server_2008
microsoft:windows_server_2012
microsoft:windows_vista
microsoft:windows_xp

Fix and mitigation

WAF and other mitigations

Can a WAF block it? No. The attack needs local access to the machine, so a WAF is not on its path.

Also consider: patch

Based on the attack vector (local or physical access). We check Cloudflare, AWS, Google Cloud Armor and Azure; for Akamai, Imperva, Fastly, F5, ask your vendor.

Remediation steps (AI-written)

Step-by-step remediation is generated for accounts on the Max plan, for CVEs that match a technology in their stack. Add this technology to your stack to see the fix checklist.

Exploitation evidence

CISA KEV catalog: Listed since 28 Mar 2022.
CISA due date: 18 Apr 2022, the remediation deadline for US federal agencies
CISA required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Public exploit code: Yes: 3 on Exploit-DB · 1 Metasploit module · 1 GitHub proof of concept
CISA SSVC: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact totalAssessed by CISA 7 Feb 2025 (SSVC 2.0.3). Exploitation is none, poc (public proof of concept) or active.

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.

Timeline

21 May 2013First public exploit or proof of concept
24 May 2013Published4 days later
28 Mar 2022Added to CISA KEV (exploited in the wild)3,229 days (about 9 years) later
18 Apr 2022CISA remediation due date (US federal agencies)21 days later
7 Feb 2025CISA SSVC assessment: exploitation active1,027 days (about 3 years) later
22 Oct 2025CVE record last updated256 days (about 9 months) later
12 Nov 2026Analysed by vulneraibility.com387 days (about 1 year) later

CVSS vector

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

Metric	Value	What it means
Attack vector	LocalLocal access required (shell, logged-in user).	Local access required (shell, logged-in user).
Attack complexity	LowRepeatable attack, no special conditions.	Repeatable attack, no special conditions.
Privileges required	NoneThe attacker needs no prior access.	The attacker needs no prior access.
User interaction	RequiredA victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate.	A victim must click, open or otherwise cooperate.
Scope	UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.	Impact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality	HighTotal data disclosure possible.	Total data disclosure possible.
Integrity	HighComplete modification possible.	Complete modification possible.
Availability	HighFull outage possible.	Full outage possible.

Common questions

Is CVE-2013-3660 being exploited?

Yes. CVE-2013-3660 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-2013-3660?

CVE-2013-3660 is rated High with a CVSS score of 7.8. 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-2013-3660?

Yes. A fix has been recorded for CVE-2013-3660. The vendor advisory is the authority on the exact fixed version — apply it from there rather than from a summary.

What does CVE-2013-3660 affect?

CVE-2013-3660 affects microsoft:windows_7, microsoft:windows_8, microsoft:windows_rt, microsoft:windows_server_2003, and 4 further products or versions. 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.

References

NVD CVE.org CVE Details Source

15 references in the CVE record, grouped by the tags the record gives them.

Advisories (3)

secunia.com /advisories/53435
us-cert.gov /ncas/alerts/TA13-190A
docs.microsoft.com /en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2013/ms13-053

Exploits (1)

exploit-db.com /exploits/25611/

Where the data on this page comes from

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
PoC-in-GitHub: GitHub repositories that claim a proof of concept

Summary, impact and triage tags: written by our AI analysis pipeline from the sources above. Check them against the sources.

Similar CVEs

Get CVEs like this by email. Join the free digest: the CVEs we flag as major, all CVSS 8.0 or higher, in up to three emails a day (sent at 05:00, 11:00 and 15:00 UTC). Matching alerts to the products you run needs an account, and accounts are invite-only during the beta.