How severe is CVE-2010-0249?

CVE-2010-0249 has a CVSS score of 8.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2010-0249?

Affected package information for CVE-2010-0249 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2010-0249?

No fixed version has been published for CVE-2010-0249 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates, apply mitigations recommended by the vendor, and use O3 Security to track when a fix becomes available in your stack.

Is CVE-2010-0249 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 6 known exploit references for CVE-2010-0249, including 2 documented proof-of-concept exploits on Exploit-DB and 4 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2010-0249?

CVE-2010-0249 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 88.8%, placing it in the 100th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. A score above 50% indicates significantly elevated exploitation risk — immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Is CVE-2010-0249 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2010-0249 (Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2026-05-20. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2026-06-03. The required action was: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2010-0249?

CVE-2010-0249 is classified as Use After Free (CWE-416). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2010-0249?

CVE-2010-0249 affects microsoft internet explorer (4 versions, e.g. 5.0.1, 6, 7.0…). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2010-0249 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2010-0249 was published on January 15, 2010 and was last updated on May 21, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

CISA KEV·Added 2026-05-20 — agencies required to remediate by 2026-06-03

CVE-2010-0249

HIGH

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;…

Published

Jan 15, 2010

Updated

May 21, 2026

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

6 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

88.8%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk100th percentile0.00%

EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is a daily probability model maintained by FIRST.org. It estimates the likelihood a CVE will be exploited in production environments within the next 30 days, derived from real-world threat intelligence signals.

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."

Affected Products

1 product · 5 configurations

Application

internet explorermicrosoft

4 versions

5.0.167.08

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

EDB-16599remotewindows✓ Verified

Microsoft Internet Explorer - 'Aurora' Memory Corruption (MS10-002) (Metasploit)

by Metasploit · Jul 12, 2010

Exploit-DB Source

EDB-11167remotewindows✓ Verified

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 - 'Aurora' Memory Corruption (MS10-002)

by Ahmed Obied · Jan 17, 2010

Exploit-DB Source

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2010-0249 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2010-0249 across dependencies and uses function-level reachability to confirm whether the vulnerable code path is actually reachable — not just present. No false positives.

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