Actively exploited in the wild

Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Microsoft - Win32k · Listed in the CISA KEV since 2022-01-21. This indicates confirmed attacks in production environments.

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

CVE-2018-8453

HighCVSS 7.8KEV

Published: 10/10/2018(UTC)Updated: 13/08/2026(UTC)Translated: 13/08/2026(UTC)NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Very high risk

70.04%

99th percentile - higher than 99% of all known CVEs

Summary

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory. Affects multiple Windows versions including Windows 7, Windows 10, and Windows Server.

Risk Assessment

An attacker could exploit this vulnerability to elevate privileges and gain full control of the system, potentially compromising organizational data and resources.

Recommendation

Install the latest Windows security updates that address this vulnerability.

Original NVD description (English source)

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 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers.