Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2015-1701)
Severity: high · Patch status: patched · Since 2022-03-03 · CVE-2015-1701
An unspecified vulnerability exists in the Win32k.sys kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Server that allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. CISA added CVE-2015-1701 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Mar 3, 2022, which means attackers are exploiting it in the wild. CISA reports known use in ransomware campaigns.
What to do
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- US federal agencies must remediate by Mar 24, 2022 (BOD 22-01); treat that as the outer limit.
Sources
All live incidents on Threat Watch
