CVEs / CVE-2016-3309
CVE-2016-3309: Microsoft Windows Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
- Known exploited in the CISA KEV catalog since 15 Mar 2022
- high 7.8 CVSS 3.1 (NVD)
- EPSS 20.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 97% of CVEs (30 Oct 2026)
- Last changed at its sources
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Summary
A privilege escalation vulnerability exists when the Windows kernel fails to properly handle objects in memory. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in kernel mode.
Description
The kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8.1; Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2; Windows RT 8.1; and Windows 10 Gold, 1511, and 1607 allow local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-3308, CVE-2016-3310, and CVE-2016-3311.
Affected and fixed versions
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| n/a n/a | n/a | — |
Exploitation
| In CISA KEV since | 15 Mar 2022 |
|---|---|
| Due date for US federal agencies | 5 Apr 2022 |
| Used in ransomware campaigns | Known |
| Required action | Apply updates per vendor instructions. |
Severity
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 highCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HScored by NVD |
|---|
References
- CVE-2016-3309 on NVD
- CVE-2016-3309 in the CISA KEV catalog
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/92297 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1036572 Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2016/ms16-098 Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42960/ Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2016-3309 US Government Resource
Sources
Exploitation status from the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. EPSS scores from FIRST. Descriptions, severity and references from the National Vulnerability Database. Open-source package versions from OSV (CC-BY 4.0). Text is shown as each source states it; Stackurity does not edit it. Check the vendor's advisory before acting.
This product uses data from the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD.