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What is CVE-2010-5161?A medium-severity flaw in F-Secure Internet Security 2010, explained.

Medium severity1 affected product
The short answer

CVE-2010-5161 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 6.2) in F-Secure Internet Security 2010, published on 25 August 2012. It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts its chance of use in the next 30 days at 0.3%. If you run an affected version, plan in the vendor’s fix.

Check if it affects you →How to fix it

Published 25 August 2012. Record last updated 16 June 2026. We keep this page's data up to date.

What it does

What is CVE-2010-5161? In plain terms.

An attacker has to be already on the device without logging in. If it works, the attacker can read data, change data and take it offline.

The official description

Race condition in F-Secure Internet Security 2010 10.00 build 246 on Windows XP allows local users to bypass kernel-mode hook handlers, and execute dangerous code that would otherwise be blocked by a handler but not blocked by signature-based malware detection, via certain user-space memory changes during hook-handler execution, aka an argument-switch attack or a KHOBE attack. NOTE: this issue is disputed by some third parties because it is a flaw in a protection mechanism for situations where a crafted program has already begun to execute

What kind of flaw is it?

  • CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')
CVSS 2.0 scoreMedium · 6.2

How an attack on it works

Read straight from its severity rating, translated out of the shorthand.

  • Where an attacker can beAlready on the device
  • How hard it is to pull offHard: conditions must line up
  • Login needed firstNo login needed
  • What an attacker getsCan read data, change data and take it offline

Severity vector: AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Exploitation

Is CVE-2010-5161 being exploited? Not that we know of.

It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 0.3%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

Known to be exploitedNoNot on the list of exploited flaws today
Chance of use in the next 30 days0.3%Its EPSS score, from the latest forecast

Timeline

  1. Published
  2. Record last updated
How Precursor Intelligence ranks it
18out of 100Info

CVE-2010-5161 scores 18. Action: Track.

We keep the score of every published flaw up to date as the evidence changes. Four things go into the score, and evidence that criminals are actually using it counts most. In order:

  • Evidence it is being exploitedBiggest factor
  • How severe it isStrong factor
  • How widely exposed it isSmaller factor
  • Threat activity around itSmaller factor

85 and above is Critical. Anything confirmed as exploited is always marked for an emergency patch, whatever its score.

When CVE-2010-5161 matches software you track, it lands in your list with its score and the reasons behind it.

See your own ranked list →
Affected products

Who is affected by CVE-2010-5161? One product.

The published record lists 1 product from 1 vendor. If you run one of these, check your version, then go to the fix below.

Remediation

How do I fix CVE-2010-5161? Four steps.

  1. Check whether you run itCompare your versions with the affected products above. Not sure what you run? Precursor Intelligence can work it out from your public website, or you can pick it from a list.
  2. Apply the vendor’s fixInstall the latest update from the vendor. The references list where the vendor has published details.
  3. If you can’t patch todayFollow any mitigation the vendor publishes, and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet until the update is in.
  4. Keep an eye on itTrack the product and we tell you as soon as we spot this flaw on the list of exploited flaws, or a jump in its exploit likelihood.

References

9 links
Precursor Intelligence

Does CVE-2010-5161 affect you? We'll keep checking.

Looking flaws up one at a time doesn't scale. Tell us what you run once, and we tell you which flaws matter to you, in what order, and keep watching for new ones.

  1. Tell us what you runPick your software from a list, or let us work it out from your website.
  2. We match it to every flawOver 400,000 published flaws, checked against your list.
  3. Ranked by real-world riskA 0 to 100 score, led by evidence criminals are using it.
  4. Told as soon as we knowAn alert by email, in the app or by webhook to your own tools.
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FAQ

Common questions, answered plainly.

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CVE-2010-5161 is a medium-severity flaw in F-Secure Internet Security 2010, published on 25 August 2012. An attacker has to be already on the device without logging in. If it works, the attacker can read data, change data and take it offline.

It scores 6.2 out of 10 on the CVSS severity scale, which is medium. Our risk score for CVE-2010-5161 is 18 out of 100, which is Info. Its action is "Track". No sign of exploitation and a low forecast. Patch it in your normal update cycle.

It is not on the list of flaws known to be exploited today. The latest forecast puts the chance of it being used in the next 30 days at 0.3%. That can change at any time, which is why we keep watching.

For F-Secure Internet Security 2010: 10.00.

Install the update the vendor names in its advisory. If you can't patch today, follow the vendor's mitigation and limit who can reach the affected system from the internet.

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