How severe is CVE-2016-0165?

CVE-2016-0165 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2016-0165?

Affected package information for CVE-2016-0165 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2016-0165?

No fixed version has been published for CVE-2016-0165 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-2016-0165 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 3 known exploit references for CVE-2016-0165, including 1 documented proof-of-concept exploit on Exploit-DB and 2 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-2016-0165?

CVE-2016-0165 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 6.0%, placing it in the 91th 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. This score indicates relatively lower exploitation probability, though the CVSS severity should still guide your patching priority.

Is CVE-2016-0165 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2016-0165 (Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2023-06-22. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2023-07-13. 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-2016-0165?

CVE-2016-0165 affects microsoft windows 7; microsoft windows 8.1; microsoft windows 10 1507; microsoft windows 10 1511, and 4 more product(s). Check the affected-products list on this page against your deployed version to confirm exposure.

When was CVE-2016-0165 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2016-0165 was published on April 12, 2016 and was last updated on April 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 2023-06-22 — agencies required to remediate by 2023-07-13

CVE-2016-0165

HIGH

The kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 10…

Published

Apr 12, 2016

Updated

Apr 21, 2026

Affected

0 pkgs

Patched

None yet

Exploits

3 known

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

6.0%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Lower Risk91th 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-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT 8.1, and Windows 10 Gold and 1511 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-0143 and CVE-2016-0167.

Affected Products

8 products · 10 configurations

windows 7microsoft

all

windows 8.1microsoft

all

windows 10 1507microsoft

all

windows 10 1511microsoft

all

windows rt 8.1microsoft

all

windows server 2008microsoft

1 version

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-44480localwindows_x86

Microsoft Windows Kernel (7 x86) - Local Privilege Escalation (MS16-039)

by xiaodaozhi · Mar 1, 2018

Exploit-DB Source

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2016-0165 in your stack?

O3 detects CVE-2016-0165 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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