CVE-2010-0483
vbscript.dll in VBScript 5.1, 5.6, 5.7, and 5.8 in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, and Server 2003 SP2, when Internet Explorer is used, allows user-assisted remote attackers to execute arbitrary code by referencing a (1) local pathname, (2) UNC share pathname, or (3) WebDAV server with a crafted .hlp file in the fourth argument (aka helpfile argument) to the MsgBox function, leading to code execution involving winhlp32.exe when the F1 key is pressed, aka "VBScript Help Keypress Vulnerability."
Key facts
- CVSS score
- 7.6 (v2.0)
- Severity
- HIGH
- CVSS vector
AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C- Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-94
- EPSS score
- 86.6% (100th percentile)
- In CISA KEV
- No
- In EU EUVD
- Yes (EUVD-2010-0514)
- Published
- March 3, 2010
- NVD last modified
- June 16, 2026
- Status
- Modified
EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD)
This vulnerability is also tracked by ENISA as EUVD-2010-0514 in the EU Vulnerability Database. Last updated in EUVD on August 7, 2024.
View on the EU Vulnerability DatabaseAffected products
- microsoft / internet explorer
- microsoft / internet explorer
- microsoft / internet explorer
- microsoft / windows 2000
- microsoft / windows 2003 server
- microsoft / windows 2003 server
- microsoft / windows server 2003
- microsoft / windows xp
- microsoft / windows xp
- microsoft / windows xp
References
- http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/02/28/investigating-a-new-win32hlp-and-internet-explorer-issue.aspx(Vendor Advisory)
- http://blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2010/03/01/security-advisory-981169-released.aspx(Vendor Advisory)
- http://blogs.technet.com/srd/archive/2010/03/01/help-keypress-vulnerability-in-vbscript-enabling-remote-code-execution.aspx(Vendor Advisory)
- http://isec.pl/vulnerabilities/isec-0027-msgbox-helpfile-ie.txt(Exploit)
- http://isec.pl/vulnerabilities10.html(Exploit)
- http://secunia.com/advisories/38727(Vendor Advisory)
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1023668
- http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9163298/New_zero_day_involves_IE_puts_Windows_XP_users_at_risk
- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/612021(US Government Resource)
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/981169.mspx(Vendor Advisory)
- http://www.osvdb.org/62632
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/38463(Exploit)
- http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/03/01/ie_code_execution_bug/
- http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA10-103A.html(US Government Resource)
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/0485(Vendor Advisory)
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2010/ms10-022
- https://exchange.xforce.ibmcloud.com/vulnerabilities/56558
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A7170
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A8654
- https://www.metasploit.com/svn/framework3/trunk/modules/exploits/windows/browser/ie_winhlp32.rb(Exploit)
Last updated September 17, 2026 · Source: NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS
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