Microsoft · Internet Explorer
CVE-2010-0249
Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free Vulnerability
What it is
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."
CISA: Microsoft Internet Explorer contains an use-after-free vulnerability that could allow remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by accessing a pointer associated with a deleted object. The impacted product could be end-of-life (EoL) and/or end-of-service (EoS). Users should discontinue product utilization.
What to do
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Deadline for US federal agencies: June 3, 2026
- Added to the CISA list
- May 20, 2026
- Published
- January 15, 2010
- Severity
- High 8.8 CVSS 3.1
- Chance of attacks in the next 30 days (EPSS)
- 92% in the top 0.2% of all known vulnerabilities
- Weakness
- CWE-416
- More details
- NVD · CVE.org · CISA
All references (14)
- http://support.microsoft.com/kb/979352
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-002
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/979352.mspx
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6835
- http://osvdb.org/61697
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37815
- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/492515
- http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/11167
- http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/01/14/security-advisory-979352.aspx
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/55642
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-055A.html
- http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-10435232-245.html
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1023462
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/0135
More exploited flaws from Microsoft
| Added | Vulnerability | Product | Severity | Attack chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2026 | Use-After-Free | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 82% |
| Oct 6, 2025 | Uninitialized Memory Corruption | Internet Explorer | High 8.1 | 97% |
| Aug 12, 2025 | Resource Management Errors | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 88% |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Use-After-Free | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 79% |
| Mar 30, 2023 | Memory Corruption | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 71% |
| Jun 8, 2022 | Use-After-Free | Internet Explorer | High 8.1 | 80% |
| May 25, 2022 | Information Disclosure | Internet Explorer | Medium 6.5 | 50% |
| May 25, 2022 | Privilege Escalation | Internet Explorer | High 8.8 | 26% |
Sources: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA, public domain), CVE records (cve.org) and EPSS (FIRST). The chance of attacks is the EPSS estimate that someone will try to exploit the flaw in the next 30 days.