Historical catalog analysis: CISA added this entry on May 20, 2026. The entry reflects catalog information retrieved on August 31, 2026, not a snapshot archived on the inclusion date. Check current vendor guidance before acting.
What the vulnerability is
CVE-2010-0249 is a use-after-free vulnerability (CWE-416) affecting Microsoft Internet Explorer. This flaw occurs when the application accesses a pointer associated with an object that has already been deleted from memory. A remote attacker could leverage this condition to execute arbitrary code on the target system.
Exposure and applicability
This vulnerability applies to environments where Microsoft Internet Explorer is still installed or active. Because the product may be end-of-life (EoL) or end-of-service (EoS), it likely lacks current security support, increasing the risk for organizations that maintain legacy browser installations for compatibility with older internal applications.
Remediation priorities
Our analysis suggests prioritizing the complete removal of the affected software over temporary mitigations due to its EoL/EoS status. We recommend the following priority sequence:
- Decommissioning: Discontinue use of Microsoft Internet Explorer entirely and migrate users to supported browsers.
- Vendor Mitigations: If immediate decommissioning is not feasible, apply any available vendor-supplied mitigations as specified in official security advisories.
- Cloud Service Alignment: For organizations utilizing cloud services, align remediation efforts with BOD 22-01 guidance where applicable.
How to validate remediation
Verification must go beyond a simple version check, as the presence of the software—regardless of version—represents an exposure path if it is EoL/EoS.
- Asset Inventory Validation: Confirm through endpoint management tools that the Internet Explorer binary is removed from the filesystem or disabled via group policy across all targeted assets.
- Execution Testing: Attempt to launch the application on a sample of remediated systems to ensure it cannot be initialized by users or automated scripts.
- Configuration Audit: Verify that no legacy browser redirection or compatibility modes are forcing the use of the vulnerable component.
Limits and open questions
Residual risk remains if the software is present but disabled, as other applications may still call the underlying engine. It is currently unknown whether this vulnerability has been utilized in known ransomware campaigns. Furthermore, because the product is potentially EoL/EoS, there is a significant risk that no further patches will be released to address this or similar flaws.
Source and editorial note
CVE-2010-0249: Microsoft Internet Explorer Use-After-Free Vulnerability · Source date: May 20, 2026 · Retrieved August 31, 2026.
Material facts are tied to the cited primary source. Recommendations are independent defensive analysis unless attributed to the source. Confirm consequential decisions against current authoritative guidance.
Archive date: May 23, 2026. The displayed post date is assigned three days after the source date to organize this retrospective archive; it does not mean this site published the analysis then. First published by this site: September 11, 2026 at 00:16 UTC.
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