BlackTreeCVE Intelligence
← Back to the CVE catalogue
Full vulnerability report · 2018
CVE-2018-8120High confidence

Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Microsoft · Win32k

7.0HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-04-05 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:Critical, raised one band.upgradedsince 15 Mar 2022

Evidence used

  • CISA confirms exploitation in the wild.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • Exploitation requires an existing local or physical foothold with privileges.
  • EPSS is 73.43% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Microsoft Win32k and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 3 daysRemediation target: Within 90 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2018-19796

CISA KEV mirrored by ENISA

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 Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8124, CVE-2018-8164, CVE-2018-8166.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Recorded by ENISA since 15 Mar 2022. Evidence sources: cisa_kev.
ENISA score
7.0 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
No linked advisory details stored yet
Recommended actionPatch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-04-05 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory.

What

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory.

Why

The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may gain additional privileges.

What

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory.

Why

The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may gain additional privileges.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Confirmed in the wild

CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2022-03-15. Known ransomware campaign use is recorded.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.

Likely attack path
local access → Improper Resource Shutdown or Release → gain additional privileges
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
Low: a basic authenticated account is required
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
High: exploitation depends on specific conditions
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-404 ↗

CWE-404: Improper Resource Shutdown or Release. The product does not release or incorrectly releases a resource before it is made available for re-use.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACHighAttack complexity: Successful exploitation depends on specific conditions outside the attacker's direct control.PRLowPrivileges required: The attacker needs basic user-level privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.
Privilege escalationCWE-404CISA KEVPublic exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-19796Known-exploited evidence recorded

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 Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8124, CVE-2018-8164, CVE-2018-8166.

Official EUVD record ↗
Canadian Centre for Cyber Security · English · AV18-075Microsoft security updates

deployments addressing multiple vulnerabilities in various Microsoft products. Products Affected: -Internet Explorer -Microsoft Edge -Microsoft Windows -Microsoft Office and Microsoft Office Services and Web Apps -ChakraCore -Adobe Flash Player -.NET Framework -Microsoft Exchange Server -Windows Host Compute Service Shim CVE References: ADV180008, CVE-2018-0765, CVE-2018-0824, CVE-2018-0854, CVE-2018-0943, CVE-2018-0945, CVE-2018-0946, CVE-2018-0951, CVE-2018-0953, CVE-2018-0954, CVE-2018-0955, CVE-2018-0958, CVE-2018-0959, CVE-2018-0961, CVE-2018-1021, CVE-2018-1022, CVE-2018-1025, CVE-2018-1039, CVE-2018-8112, CVE-2018-8114, CVE-2018-8119, CVE-2018-8120, CVE-2018-8122, CVE-2018-8123, CVE-2018-8124, CVE-2018-8126, CVE-2018-8127, CVE-2018-8128, CVE-2018-8129, CVE-2018-8130, CVE-2018-8132, CVE-2018-8133, CVE-2018-8134, CVE-2018-8136, CVE-2018-8137, CVE-2018-8139, CVE-2018-8141, CVE-2018-8142, CVE-2018-8145, CVE-2018-8147, CVE-2018-8148, CVE-2018-8149, CVE-2018-8150, CVE-2018-8151, CVE-2018-8152, CVE-2018-8153, CVE-2018-8154, CVE-2018-8155, CVE-2018-8156, CVE-2018-8157, CVE-2018-8158, CVE-2018-8159, CVE-2018-8160, CVE-2018-8161, CVE-2018-8162, CVE-2018-8163, CVE-2018-8164, CVE-2018-8165, CVE-2018-8166, CVE-2018-8167, CVE-2018-8168, CVE-2018-8170, CVE-2018-8173, CVE-2018-8174, CVE-2018-8177, CVE

Official advisory ↗
CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2018-AVI-221Multiples vulnérabilités dans Microsoft Windows

tation Bulletin de sécurité Microsoft du 08 mai 2018 https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/fr-FR/security-guidance Référence CVE CVE-2018-0824 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-0824 Référence CVE CVE-2018-0854 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-0854 Référence CVE CVE-2018-0958 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-0958 Référence CVE CVE-2018-0959 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-0959 Référence CVE CVE-2018-0961 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-0961 Référence CVE CVE-2018-1035 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-1035 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8115 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8115 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8120 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8120 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8124 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8124 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8127 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8127 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8129 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8129 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8132 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8132 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8134 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8134 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8136 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8136 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8141 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8141 Référence CVE CVE-2018-8142 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-8142 Ré

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2018-004263複数の Microsoft Windows 製品における権限を昇格される脆弱性

複数の Microsoft Windows 製品には、Win32k コンポーネントがメモリ内のオブジェクトの適切な処理に失敗した場合、権限を昇格される脆弱性が存在します。 ベンダは、本脆弱性を「Win32k の特権の昇格の脆弱性」として公開しています。 本脆弱性は、CVE-2018-8120、CVE-2018-8164、および CVE-2018-8166 とは異なる脆弱性です。

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2018-004262複数の Microsoft Windows 製品における権限を昇格される脆弱性

複数の Microsoft Windows 製品には、Win32k コンポーネントがメモリ内のオブジェクトの適切な処理に失敗した場合、権限を昇格される脆弱性が存在します。 ベンダは、本脆弱性を「Win32k の特権の昇格の脆弱性」として公開しています。 本脆弱性は、CVE-2018-8124、CVE-2018-8164、および CVE-2018-8166 とは異なる脆弱性です。

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2018-004227複数の Microsoft Windows 製品における権限を昇格される脆弱性

複数の Microsoft Windows 製品には、Win32k コンポーネントがメモリ内のオブジェクトを適切に処理しない場合、権限を昇格される脆弱性が存在します。 ベンダは、本脆弱性を「Win32k の特権の昇格の脆弱性」として公開しています。 本脆弱性は、CVE-2018-8120、CVE-2018-8124、および CVE-2018-8164 とは異なる脆弱性です。

Official advisory ↗
JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2018-004225複数の Microsoft Windows 製品における権限を昇格される脆弱性

複数の Microsoft Windows 製品には、Win32k コンポーネントがメモリ内のオブジェクトの適切な処理に失敗した場合、権限を昇格される脆弱性が存在します。 ベンダは、本脆弱性を「Win32k の特権の昇格の脆弱性」として公開しています。 本脆弱性は、CVE-2018-8120、CVE-2018-8124、および CVE-2018-8166 とは異なる脆弱性です。

Official advisory ↗
KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-4871MS 5월 보안 위협에 따른 정기 보안 업데이트 권고

730, 4103726 ##### □ 해결책 o 영향 받는 소프트웨어를 이용하는 경우 마이크로소프트사의 보안 패치 적용 4. Windows RT 8.1 보안 업데이트 ##### □ 설명 o 공격자가 특수하게 제작된 악성 응용 프로그램을 실행할 경우, 원격코드실행을 허용하는 취약점 o 관련취약점 : - 원격코드실행 취약점(CVE-2018-0824,CVE-2018-0959,CVE-2018-8136,CVE-2018-8174) - 권한상승 취약점(CVE-2018-8124,CVE-2018-8134,CVE-2018-8164,CVE-2018-8166,CVE-2018-8167,CVE-2018-8897) - 정보노출 취약점(CVE-2018-8127) o 영향 : 원격코드실행 o 중요도 : 긴급 o 관련 KB번호 - 4103725 ##### □ 해결책 o 영향 받는 소프트웨어를 이용하는 경우 마이크로소프트사의 보안 패치 적용 5. Windows 7, Server 2008 R2 보안 업데이트 ##### □ 설명 o 공격자가 특수하게 제작된 악성 응용 프로그램을 실행할 경우, 원격코드실행을 허용하는 취약점 o 관련취약점 : - 원격코드실행 취약점(CVE-2018-0824,CVE-2018-0959,CVE-2018-8136,CVE-2018-8174) - 권한상승 취약점(CVE-2018-8120,CVE-2018-8124,CVE-2018-8164,CVE-2018-8166,CVE-2018-8167,CVE-2018-8897) - 정보노출 취약점(CVE-2018-8127) o 영향 : 원격코드실행 o 중요도 : 긴급 o 관련 KB번호 - 4103718, 4103712 ##### □ 해결책 o 영향 받는 소프트웨어를 이용하는 경우 마이크로소프트사의 보안 패치 적용 6. Windows Server 2008 보안 업데이트 ##### □ 설명 o 공격자가 특수하게 제작된 악성 응용 프로그램을 실행할 경우, 원격코드실행을 허용하는 취약점 o 관련취약점 : - 원격코드실행 취약점(CVE-2018-0824,CVE-2018-0959,CVE-2018-8136,CVE-2018-8174) - 권한상승 취약점(CVE-2018-8120,CVE-2018-8124,CVE-2018-8164,CVE-2018-8166,CVE-2018-8167,CVE-2018-8897) o 영향 : 원격코드실행 o 중요도 : 긴급 o 관련 KB번호 - 4101477, 4094079, 4131188, 4130944, 4134651 ##### □ 해결책 o 영향 받는 소프트웨어를 이용하는 경우 마이크로소프트사의 보안 패치 적용 7. Internet Explorer 보안 업데이트 ##### □ 설

Official advisory ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
Fixed
An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 9 May 2018 · Last source change 13 Aug 2026, 03:55 UTC · CWE-404 · Improper Resource Shutdown or Release

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.2
CVSS sourceNIST NVD
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-01
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-19796
Product sourceCISA KEV
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceCISA ADP
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. ENISA known-exploited stateENISA EUVD now records this CVE in its known-exploited dataset.
    Before
    not listed in ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset
    After
    listed in ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset (EUVD-2018-19796)
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  2. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2018-19796 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2018-19796"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  3. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    32-bit Systems Service Pack 2; 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation); Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 2; x64-based Systems Service Pack 2; x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation); 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1; x64-based Systems Service Pack 1; Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1 · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    After
    Windows Server 2008: 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2, 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation), Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 2, x64-based Systems Service Pack 2, x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation); Windows 7: 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1, x64-based Systems Service Pack 1; Windows Server 2008 R2: Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1, x64-based Systems Service Pack 1, x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    CNA ↗
  4. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2018-8120; added remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2018-8120.
    Before
    no authoritative guidance recorded
    After
    patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2018-8120 · remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2018-8120
    portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
  5. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    32-bit Systems Service Pack 2; 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation); Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 2; x64-based Systems Service Pack 2; x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation); 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1; x64-based Systems Service Pack 1; Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1 · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    After
    32-bit Systems Service Pack 2; 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation); Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 2; x64-based Systems Service Pack 2; x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation); 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1; x64-based Systems Service Pack 1; Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1 · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    CNA ↗
  6. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Patch available
    portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
  7. CVSS scoreCVSS scoring authority changed from CISA ADP to NIST NVD; the displayed base score remained 7.0.
    Before
    7.0 (CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    After
    7.0 (CVSS 3.1 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H)
    NIST NVD ↗
  8. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Added to CISA KEV
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2018-19796↗CISA KEV record↗Patch or update reference↗Public exploit reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2018-8120 · cve.blacktree.nl