Known exploited vulnerability
CVE-2018-8440
The short answer
CVE-2018-8440 affects Microsoft Windows 7 and is rated high (CVSS 7.8). CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-03-28: attackers are using it, so patch it first. The vendor has linked a patch.
What it is
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles calls to Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC), aka "Windows ALPC Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers.
Severity
7.8 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploited (CISA KEV)
Yes, since Mar 28, 2022
Federal due date Apr 18, 2022
EPSS, next 30 days
19%
Higher than 97% of scored CVEs
How it can be exploited
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality impact
- High
- Integrity impact
- High
- Availability impact
- High
What CISA says to do
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Affected products
Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers. NVD's record lists the exact affected versions.
References
- blog.0patch.com/2018/08/how-we-micropatched-publicly-dropped.html ExploitPatchThird Party Advisory
- blog.0patch.com/2018/09/comparing-our-micropatch-with.html Third Party Advisory
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8440 PatchVendor Advisory
- blog.0patch.com/2018/08/how-we-micropatched-publicly-dropped.html ExploitPatchThird Party Advisory
- blog.0patch.com/2018/09/comparing-our-micropatch-with.html Third Party Advisory
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8440 PatchVendor Advisory
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-8440 US Government Resource
Questions
Is CVE-2018-8440 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2018-8440 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-03-28, with a federal remediation due date of 2022-04-18. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns.
How do I fix CVE-2018-8440?
CISA's required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
From NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST EPSS and OSV.dev, checked . Status on NVD: Analyzed. The description is NVD's text, quoted as published.
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