CVE-2011-2016: Windows Mail · Untrusted Search Path
Source CVE Database V5
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.3 High.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 14:05 UTC
- EPSS
- 8.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 94% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 8 Nov 2011
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
AI-suggested
- Upgrade and Patch: The most effective mitigation is to upgrade affected systems to supported Windows versions (Windows 10 or later) and apply all relevant security patches. Although no direct patch links are provided here, Microsoft released advisories addressing this vulnerability in 2011; organizations should verify that all legacy systems have these updates applied.
- Restrict Local Access: Limit local user access to systems running vulnerable Windows versions. Enforce strict access controls and use least privilege principles to reduce the risk of local exploitation.
- User Training: Educate users about the risks of opening email (.eml) and meeting invitation (.wcinv) files from untrusted sources or directories, emphasizing caution with files received via email or removable media.
- Application Whitelisting: Implement application control policies to prevent unauthorized DLLs from loading, especially from user-writable directories.
- Monitoring and Detection: Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions to monitor for suspicious DLL loading behavior and privilege escalation attempts.
- Network Segmentation: Isolate legacy systems from critical network segments to limit potential lateral movement if exploitation occurs.
- Disable Windows Meeting Space: If not required, disable or uninstall Windows Meeting Space and Windows Mail components to reduce the attack surface.
- Use of Protected DLL Search Paths: Configure systems to use safe DLL search order or enable features like "SafeDllSearchMode" to prevent DLL hijacking from untrusted directories.
Description
Untrusted search path vulnerability in Windows Mail and Windows Meeting Space in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2, R2, and R2 SP1, and Windows 7 Gold and SP1 allows local users to gain privileges via a Trojan horse DLL in the current working directory, as demonstrated by a directory that contains a .eml or .wcinv file, aka "Windows Mail Insecure Library Loading Vulnerability."