Evidence used
- No CISA KEV confirmation is currently recorded.
- Exploitation requires an existing local or physical foothold with privileges.
- EPSS is 0.88% for the current model date.
BlackTreeCVE IntelligenceFull vulnerability report · 2019
CVE-2019-1021High confidence
Windows Audio Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Microsoft · Windows 10 Version 1703
7.8HighCVSS 3.1
Within 7 days
Patch availableHigh technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
R
Open reassessment dashboard →Operational reassessment
Published severity in operational context
Published severityHigh→Operational priority:Medium, lowered one band.downgradedsince 20 May 2025
Compensating controls
- Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
- Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
- Monitor vendor guidance and exploitation sources for a material change.
Verification
- Confirm that the asset runs Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1703 and falls inside the recorded affected range.
- Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
- Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
- Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
High technical severity; prioritise exposed affected systems while verifying vendor guidance.
Patch available01
What, why and how
An elevation of privilege exists in Windows Audio Service. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker could run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability. This vulnerability by itself does not allow arbitrary code to be run. However, this vulnerability could be used in conjunction with one or more vulnerabilities (e.g. a remote code execution vulnerability and another elevation of privilege) that could take advantage of the elevated privileges when running. The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows Audio Service handles processes these requests.
What
An elevation of privilege exists in Windows Audio Service. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker could run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability. This vulnerability by itself does not allow arbitrary code to be run. However, this vulnerability could be used in conjunction with one or more vulnerabilities (e.g. a remote code execution vulnerability and another elevation of privilege) that could take advantage of the elevated privileges when running. The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows Audio Service handles processes these requests.
Why
The current structured CVE record identifies a security weakness, but the root cause requires confirmation in the linked vendor material.
How
An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.
What
An elevation of privilege exists in Windows Audio Service. An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could run arbitrary code with elevated privileges. To exploit the vulnerability, an attacker could run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability. This vulnerability by itself does not allow arbitrary code to be run. However, this vulnerability could be used in conjunction with one or more vulnerabilities (e.g. a remote code execution vulnerability and another elevation of privilege) that could take advantage of the elevated privileges when running. The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how the Windows Audio Service handles processes these requests.
Why
The current structured CVE record identifies a security weakness, but the root cause requires confirmation in the linked vendor material.
How
An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation with low privileges. If successful, the issue may execute code or commands in the affected security context.
02
Exploit reality and attack path
CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.
Observed exploitation No confirmed evidence
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No CISA KEV match was present at the last successful refresh. This means no confirmation from that source, not proof of no exploitation.
Public PoC / exploit material None recorded
?
Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.No exploit-tagged reference or CISA SSVC proof-of-concept state is currently recorded. Research may still exist outside the structured feeds.
- Likely attack path
- local access → vulnerable operation → execute code or commands in the affected security context
- Attack surface
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low: a basic authenticated account is required
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
- Security boundary
- Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
- Weakness
?
CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration. - CWE not yet assigned
- 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:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:CCommon 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.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.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
- After compromise, an attacker may use built-in shells, scripting engines, scheduled tasks and native network utilities for discovery, persistence or movement. This is a plausible LoTL path, not evidence that it has occurred for every attack.
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
- Windows 10 Version 1703: 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows 10 Version 1803: 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows Server, version 1803 (Server Core Installation): 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows 10 Version 1809: 10.0.17763.0 < publication, 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows Server 2019: 10.0.17763.0 < publication
- Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation): 10.0.17763.0 < publication
- Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems: 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows 10 Version 1709: 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit Systems: 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems: 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based Systems: 10.0.0 < publication
- Windows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation): 10.0.0 < publication
- 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 12 Jun 2019 · Last source change 20 May 2025, 17:50 UTC · CWE not yet assigned
CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCNA
EPSS source FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-01
?
The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-9607
Product sourceCNA
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceUnavailable
NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment
Missing structured fields: CWE classification. Missing data is not evidence of low risk; review the primary advisory.
Material change intelligence
View recent updates ↗What changed after publication
- ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2019-9607 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.ENISA EUVD ↗
- Before
- not recorded
- After
- {"euvdId":"EUVD-2019-9607"}
- Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1021; added remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1021; removed vendor advisory: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1021.portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
- Before
- vendor advisory: msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1021
- After
- patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1021 · remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1021
- Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.CNA ↗
- Before
- 10.0.0 < publication; 10.0.17763.0 < publication · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
- After
- 10.0.0 < publication; 10.0.17763.0 < publication · 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.
- Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
- Before
- Awaiting fix
- After
- Patch available
- Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.CNA ↗
CVE published
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
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.