CVE-2021-41357KEV · 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.

1621
days past CISA
deadline
CVSS v3.1
7.8
EPSS
2%
Percentile
75.3
In the wild
Confirmed
What it is

🚨 An attacker could gain full control over your system with just one crafted application! This Win32k privilege escalation vulnerability is a serious threat that needs your attention! ⚡ Think of it like a janitor who finds an unguarded ladder leading to the mayor's office. With just a little ingenuity, they can climb up and access sensitive information without anyone checking their credentials. That's how this vulnerability works – a crafty route into privileged areas without detection. With this vulnerability, an attacker can elevate their privileges and execute arbitrary code within the system. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, installation of malware, or even complete takeover of your machine. The potential consequences are absolutely devastating if left unaddressed!

Put simply

Think of it like a janitor who finds an unguarded ladder leading to the mayor's office. With just a little ingenuity, they can climb up and access sensitive information without anyone checking their credentials. That's how this vulnerability works – a crafty route into privileged areas without detection. CVE-2021-41357 is a Win32k elevation of privilege vulnerability that allows attackers to gain higher permissions, enabling them to run malicious code as an administrator. This occurs due to improper handling of objects in memory, which is exploited to bypass security mechanisms.

What to do

With this vulnerability, an attacker can elevate their privileges and execute arbitrary code within the system. This could lead to unauthorized access to sensitive data, installation of malware, or even complete takeover of your machine. The potential consequences are absolutely devastating if left unaddressed! To protect your systems, patch to the latest version provided by Microsoft immediately. Ensure all systems are updated and consider implementing least privilege policies to limit potential damage. Regularly review and restrict application permissions as an added precaution. You've got this! With these steps, you can lock down your systems and keep that privilege escalation at bay! 🛡️

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:F/RL:O/RC:C
CVSS v4.0
Not supplied
EPSS
0.01582 · 75.3th percentile
Published
2021-10-13T00:28Z
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 00:28Z
    Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
    cvelistv5