CVE-2010-3962 - PatchNow

📋 Vulnerability Details

Data Source: CIRCL

Confidence: HIGH

Exploitation Method: USER_INTERACTION

CVE Published: 2010-11-05

Added to CISA KEV: 2025-10-06 5449 DAYS BETWEEN CVE AND KEV

🎯 Recommendations:

CRITICAL: Check for indicators of compromise - this vulnerability is in CISA KEV indicating active exploitation in the wild. Review logs, check for unauthorized access, verify system integrity
Apply Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-090 immediately
Consider blocking IE 6/7/8 usage entirely as these are end-of-life
Implement network monitoring for suspicious outbound connections from IE processes
High patch priority for client systems, but not T1190 risk to internet-facing infrastructure

🔍 Web Intelligence (Kagi · 2026-06-04)

CVE-2010-3962 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer that was actively exploited in the wild shortly after its discovery in November 2010 ^[1] ^[4].

Vulnerability Overview

Type: Use-after-free / Uninitialized Memory Corruption ^[1]
Mechanism: The vulnerability exists within the Microsoft HTML engine (`mshtml.dll`) and is triggered when the browser parses a specially crafted HTML page containing specific Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) token sequences and the `clip` attribute ^[1] ^[2].

Exploitation and Impact

Attack Method: This is a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability. An attacker could exploit it by enticing a user to visit a malicious website containing the crafted CSS code ^[1].
Requirements: Successful exploitation requires user interaction (the user must navigate to the malicious page). It is a network-based attack vector ^[1].
Impact: Successful exploitation allows a remote attacker to execute arbitrary code on the victim's system with the privileges of the logged-in user ^[1].
Exploit Availability: Publicly available exploit code exists, including a module in the Metasploit Framework (`exploit/windows/browser/ms10_090_ie_css_clip`) ^[2].

Affected Products and Mitigation

Affected Versions: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 ^[1].
Patch Status: Microsoft addressed this vulnerability in December 2010 as part of Security Bulletin MS10-090 ^[3]. Users were advised to apply the security update to mitigate the risk.

While the vulnerability was used in active attacks in 2010, it is considered a legacy issue today, as the affected versions of Internet Explorer are long past their support lifecycle.

Sources

CVE-2010-3962 Detail - NVD
Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors. ... An official website of the United States government Here's how you know ... CVE-2010-3962 Detail. Deferred. This CVE record is not being prioritized for NVD enri…
CVE-2010-3962 : Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet ...
CVE-2010-3962 : Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to Casca ... Products affected by CVE-2010-3962. Microsoft » Internet Explorer » Version: 6.Metasploit modules for CVE-2010-3962. MS10-090 Mic…
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS10-090 - Critical
This security update resolves four privately reported vulnerabilities and three publicly disclosed vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer. ... Affected and Non-Affected Software. The following software have been tested to determine which versions or editions are affected. Other versions or editions ar…
CVE-2010-3962 - Vulnerability Details - OpenCVE
Use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, 7, and 8 allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code via vectors related to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) token sequences and the clip attribute, aka an "invalid flag reference" issue or "Uninitialized Memory Corruption Vulnerabilit…