How severe is CVE-2016-0040?

CVE-2016-0040 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2016-0040?

Affected package information for CVE-2016-0040 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2016-0040?

No fixed version has been published for CVE-2016-0040 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-2016-0040 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 10 known exploit references for CVE-2016-0040, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 6 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-2016-0040?

CVE-2016-0040 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 77.3%, placing it in the 99th 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-2016-0040 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2016-0040 (Microsoft Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-03-28. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-04-18. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

Which products and versions are affected by CVE-2016-0040?

CVE-2016-0040 affects microsoft windows 7; microsoft windows server 2008 (1 version, e.g. r2); microsoft windows vista. Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2016-0040 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2016-0040 was published on February 10, 2016 and was last updated on April 22, 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 2022-03-28 — agencies required to remediate by 2022-04-18

CVE-2016-0040

HIGH

The kernel in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 SP1 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Windows Elevation…

Published

Feb 10, 2016

Updated

Apr 22, 2026

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

10 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

77.3%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Very High Risk99th 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

The kernel in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 SP1 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

Affected Products

3 products · 4 configurations

windows 7microsoft

all

windows server 2008microsoft

1 version

windows vistamicrosoft

all

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-44586localwindows_x86-64✓ Verified

Microsoft Windows WMI - Recieve Notification Exploit (Metasploit)

by Metasploit · May 4, 2018

Exploit-DB Source

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2016-0040 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2016-0040 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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