Vulnerability Monitor

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CVE-2010-2568

Windows Shell in Microsoft Windows XP SP3, Server 2003 SP2, Vista SP1 and SP2, Server 2008 SP2 and R2, and Windows 7 allows local users or remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via a crafted (1) .LNK or (2) .PIF shortcut file, which is not properly handled during icon display in Windows Explorer, as demonstrated in the wild in July 2010, and originally reported for malware that leverages CVE-2010-2772 in Siemens WinCC SCADA systems.

Security Impact Summary

This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity though user interaction is required and does not require pre-existing privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 5 products from microsoft, from microsoft, from microsoft and 2 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.

Historical Context

Documented in 2010, this vulnerability occurred amid the cloud computing expansion era, where traditional network perimeter security models were being reevaluated. Organizations were transitioning from isolated infrastructure to interconnected systems, creating new attack surfaces that vulnerabilities like this could exploit.

Published

2010-07-22T05:43:49.703

Last Modified

2025-10-22T01:15:36.973

Status

Deferred

Source

[email protected]

Severity

CVSSv3.1: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSSv2 Vector

AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Access Vector: NETWORK
Access Complexity: MEDIUM
Authentication: NONE
Confidentiality Impact: COMPLETE
Integrity Impact: COMPLETE
Availability Impact: COMPLETE

Exploitability Score

8.6

Impact Score

10.0

Weaknesses

Type: Primary
NVD-CWE-noinfo

Affected Vendors & Products

Type	Vendor	Product	Version/Range	Vulnerable?
Operating System	microsoft	windows_7	-	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_server_2003	-	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_server_2008	-	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_server_2008	-	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_server_2008	r2	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_server_2008	r2	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_vista	-	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_vista	-	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_xp	-	Yes
Operating System	microsoft	windows_xp	-	Yes

References

http://isc.sans.edu/diary.html?storyid=9181 Exploit, Issue Tracking ([email protected])
http://isc.sans.edu/diary.html?storyid=9190 Issue Tracking ([email protected])
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2010/07/experts-warn-of-new-windows-shortcut-flaw/ Press/Media Coverage ([email protected])
http://secunia.com/advisories/40647 Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://securitytracker.com/id?1024216 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00001986.html Not Applicable ([email protected])
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/new_rootkit_en.pdf Exploit ([email protected])
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/940193 Patch, Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource ([email protected])
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/2286198.mspx Broken Link, Patch, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/41732 Broken Link, Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry ([email protected])
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-222A.html Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource ([email protected])
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-046 Patch, Vendor Advisory ([email protected])
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A11564 Broken Link ([email protected])
https://www.geoffchappell.com/notes/security/stuxnet/ctrlfldr.htm Third Party Advisory ([email protected])
http://isc.sans.edu/diary.html?storyid=9181 Exploit, Issue Tracking (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://isc.sans.edu/diary.html?storyid=9190 Issue Tracking (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2010/07/experts-warn-of-new-windows-shortcut-flaw/ Press/Media Coverage (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://secunia.com/advisories/40647 Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://securitytracker.com/id?1024216 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00001986.html Not Applicable (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/new_rootkit_en.pdf Exploit (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/940193 Patch, Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/2286198.mspx Broken Link, Patch, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/41732 Broken Link, Exploit, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-222A.html Third Party Advisory, US Government Resource (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-046 Patch, Vendor Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A11564 Broken Link (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.geoffchappell.com/notes/security/stuxnet/ctrlfldr.htm Third Party Advisory (af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108)
https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2010-2568 (134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0)

How SecUtils Interprets This CVE

SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For microsoft's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.