CVE-2019-1074: An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Microsoft Windows where certain folders, with local service privilege, are vulnerable to symbolic link attack

Recommended actionScheduled

Medium technical severity with no CISA KEV confirmation; remediate through the normal risk-based patch cycle unless local exposure raises the priority.

Patch available

What, why and how

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Microsoft Windows where certain folders, with local service privilege, are vulnerable to symbolic link attack. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could potentially access unauthorized information. The update addresses this vulnerability by not allowing symbolic links in these scenarios., aka 'Microsoft Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2019-1082.

What

Why

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

How

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

What

Why

The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.

How

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

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.

No confirmed evidence

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

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

None recorded

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 → Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following') → gain additional privileges
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: a standard category for the underlying weakness.: CWE-59 ↗
CWE-59: Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following'). The product attempts to access a file based on the filename, but it does not properly prevent that filename from identifying a link or shortcut that resolves to an unintended resource.
CVSS vector ? CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.0: 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.INoneIntegrity impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.ANoneAvailability impact: No direct loss is represented by this metric.
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-59

Official authority intelligence

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

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-9656Official EUVD mapping

0 linked advisory records.

Official EUVD record ↗

CERT-FR · French · CERTFR-2019-AVI-320Multiples vulnérabilités dans Microsoft Windows

.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-0887 Référence CVE CVE-2019-0966 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-0966 Référence CVE CVE-2019-0975 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-0975 Référence CVE CVE-2019-0999 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-0999 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1006 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1006 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1037 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1037 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1067 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1067 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1071 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1071 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1073 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1073 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1074 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1074 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1082 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1082 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1085 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1085 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1086 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1086 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1087 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1087 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1088 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1088 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1089 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1089 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1090 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1090 Référence CVE CVE-2019-1091 https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2019-1091 Ré

Official advisory ↗

JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2019-006418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、ローカルサービス権限を持つ特定の dll に関する処理に不備があるため、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「Microsoft Windows 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-2019-1074 とは異なる脆弱性です。

Official advisory ↗

JVN iPedia · Japanese · JVNDB-2019-006417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、ローカルサービス権限を持つ特定のフォルダに関する処理に不備があるため、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「Microsoft Windows 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-2019-1082 とは異なる脆弱性です。

Official advisory ↗

KISA KrCERT/CC · Korean · KNVD-5030MS 7월 보안 위협에 따른 정기 보안 업데이트 권고

- 권한상승 취약점(CVE-2018-15664,CVE-2019-0880,CVE-2019-0999,CVE-2019-1006,CVE-2019-1037,CVE-2019-1067,CVE-2019-1074,CVE-2019-1077,CVE-2019-1082,CVE-2019-1085,CVE-2019-1087,CVE-2019-1088,CVE-2019-1089,CVE-2019-1090,CVE-2019-1129,CVE-2019-1130)

Official advisory ↗

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 1709 for 32-bit Systems, 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems, 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems, 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems, 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems, 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems, 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems, 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems, 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems
Windows Server: version 1803 (Core Installation), 2019, 2019 (Core installation)
Windows 10 Version 1903 for 32-bit Systems: unspecified
Windows 10 Version 1903 for x64-based Systems: unspecified
Windows 10 Version 1903 for ARM64-based Systems: unspecified
Windows Server, version 1903 (Server Core installation): unspecified
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.

Evidence and provenance

Published 15 Jul 2019 · Last source change 4 Aug 2024, 18:06 UTC · CWE-59 · Improper Link Resolution Before File Access ('Link Following')

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1

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-2019-9656

Product sourceCNA

Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references

CWE sourceNIST NVD

NVD statusNVD modified after enrichment

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

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗

1 Sep 2026, 02:42 UTC
ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2019-9656 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
Before
not recorded
After
{"euvdId":"EUVD-2019-9656"}
ENISA EUVD ↗
4 Aug 2024, 18:06 UTC
Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1074; added remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1074.
Before
no authoritative guidance recorded
After
patch: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1074 · remediation: portal.msrc.microsoft.com/CVE-2019-1074
portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
4 Aug 2024, 18:06 UTC
Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
Before
10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems; 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems; 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems; 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems; 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
After
10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems; 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems; 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems; 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems; 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems; 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems · 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 Aug 2024, 18:06 UTC
Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.
Before
Awaiting fix
After
Patch available
portal.msrc.microsoft.com ↗
4 Aug 2024, 18:06 UTC
SeveritySeverity changed from Unknown to Medium.
Before
Unknown
After
Medium
NIST NVD ↗
4 Aug 2024, 18:06 UTC
CVSS scoreCVSS score changed from not recorded to 5.5 (CVSS 3.0 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N).
Before
not recorded
After
5.5 (CVSS 3.0 · NIST NVD · CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N)
NIST NVD ↗
4 Aug 2024, 18:06 UTC
Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
CNA ↗

2019-07-15CVE published

2024-08-04Fixed release or patch reference recorded

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2019-9656↗CVE authority or vendor 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.

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Microsoft Windows where certain folders, with local service privilege, are vulnerable to symbolic link attack

Published severity in operational context

Evidence used

Compensating controls

Verification

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

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

EUVD-2019-9656

What, why and how

Exploit reality and attack path

Official authority intelligence

Patch and workaround

Evidence and provenance

What changed after publication