Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2019-0859)
Severity: high · Patch status: patched · Since 2021-11-03 · CVE-2019-0859
Microsoft Win32k fails to properly handle objects in memory causing privilege escalation. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to run code in kernel mode. CISA added CVE-2019-0859 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Nov 3, 2021, 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 May 3, 2022 (BOD 22-01); treat that as the outer limit.
Sources
All live incidents on Threat Watch
