Known exploited vulnerability
CVE-2018-8453
The short answer
CVE-2018-8453 affects Microsoft Windows 7 and is rated high (CVSS 7.8). CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-01-21: attackers are using it, so patch it first. The vendor has linked a patch.
What it is
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2019, 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:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploited (CISA KEV)
Yes, since Jan 21, 2022
Federal due date Jul 21, 2022
EPSS, next 30 days
70%
Higher than 99% of scored CVEs
How it can be exploited
- Attack vector
- Local
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Privileges required
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- 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 2019, 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
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8453 PatchVendor Advisory
- securelist.com/cve-2018-8453-used-in-targeted-attack ExploitTechnical DescriptionThird Party Advisory
- portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8453 PatchVendor Advisory
- securelist.com/cve-2018-8453-used-in-targeted-attack ExploitTechnical DescriptionThird Party Advisory
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-8453 US Government Resource
Questions
Is CVE-2018-8453 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2018-8453 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-01-21, with a federal remediation due date of 2022-07-21. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns.
How do I fix CVE-2018-8453?
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.
Related
Latest CVEs this week
Critical and High CVEs from the last 7 days, with KEV and EPSS.
Exploited vulnerabilities by vendor
Every vendor in CISA's KEV catalog, with its count.
Microsoft exploited vulnerabilities
Everything CISA lists as exploited for Microsoft.
Vulnerability watch
A briefing and a fix pull request when an advisory hits your dependencies.
Know the day a CVE lands in your code
Connect a GitHub repository and ZeusQA checks its dependencies daily, briefs each advisory and opens the fix. Three test runs free, no card.