CVE-2021-40450KEV · OVERDUE

Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

High · published October 13, 2021

Patch now

Confirmed exploited, and the score agrees

CVSS calls it high at 7.8. It is confirmed in active exploitation. It sits in the 75.3th percentile for exploit probability.

1622
days past CISA
deadline
CVSS v3.1
7.8
EPSS
2%
Percentile
75.3
In the wild
Confirmed
What it is

⚡ An attacker can leverage this elevation of privilege vulnerability to gain escalated access with just a few clever moves! 🔥 Think of it like a sneaky employee finding a way to access the executive lounge without the proper credentials — once they’re in, they can do much more than just grab a coffee! If exploited, an attacker could execute code with elevated privileges, allowing them to take complete control of the system. This means they could install programs, view sensitive data, or even create new user accounts with administrative rights. Yikes!

Put simply

Think of it like a sneaky employee finding a way to access the executive lounge without the proper credentials — once they’re in, they can do much more than just grab a coffee! This vulnerability exists in the Win32k component of Windows, allowing a user to elevate their privileges through crafted calls, effectively bypassing standard access controls.

What to do

If exploited, an attacker could execute code with elevated privileges, allowing them to take complete control of the system. This means they could install programs, view sensitive data, or even create new user accounts with administrative rights. Yikes! To protect against this risk, install the latest Windows security updates as soon as possible. Ensuring your system is updated to the latest version will close this vulnerability and help keep your data safe! You’ve got this! Secure your system today and stand tall as a security hero! 🛡️

The record
Technical detail
CVSS v3.1
7.8 · HIGH
Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.01582 · 75.3th percentile
Published
2021-10-13T00:26Z
KEV added
2022-04-25 · due 2022-05-16
EPSS history
Timeline
  • 25 APR 00:00Z
    Added to CISA KEV — remediate by May 16
    kev
  • 13 OCT 00:26Z
    Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
    cvelistv5