What does NTSTATUS 0xC0000710 (STATUS_CALLBACK_RETURNED_WHILE_IMPERSONATING) mean?

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STATUS_THREADPOOL_RELEASED_DURING_OPERATION	STATUS_APC_RETURNED_WHILE_IMPERSONATING

STATUS_CALLBACK_RETURNED_WHILE_IMPERSONATING

The callback leaked impersonation state onto a pooled worker

Thread-pool workers are reused for unrelated callbacks. If a callback impersonates a client and returns without reverting, the next callback can execute with the wrong security token. This is both a correctness failure and a security boundary violation; the leaked identity can grant or remove access unexpectedly.

Every successful impersonation transition needs structured cleanup on normal return, exceptions, cancellation, and early exits. Reverting in a different thread does not repair the original worker because impersonation state is thread-specific.

What to inspect

• Record the worker thread, original token, impersonation token, impersonation API, and all callback exit paths.
• Call RevertToSelf or the matching RPC/COM revert routine in guaranteed cleanup code.
• Fail closed if reverting impersonation fails; continuing pooled execution can contaminate later work.
• Avoid storing an impersonation token in process-global state without thread and lifetime ownership.

References

• Microsoft Open Specifications: NTSTATUS values
• Microsoft: RevertToSelf
• Microsoft: pooled threads and callback environments
• Microsoft: Thread Pool API

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