CVE-2024-43563 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE • 10/08/2024
Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
If you want to get best quality of vulnerability data, you may have to visit VulDB.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 06/15/2026
This vulnerability resides within the Windows Ancillary Function Driver for WinSock component which serves as a critical interface for socket operations in the Windows operating system. The flaw represents a privilege escalation issue that allows malicious actors to elevate their access rights from standard user level to system level execution. The vulnerability stems from improper handling of kernel-mode operations within the afd.sys driver that processes network socket communications. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting specific network requests that trigger memory corruption within the driver's processing routines, ultimately leading to arbitrary code execution with kernel-level privileges. The underlying technical issue manifests through insufficient input validation and memory management within the driver's network packet handling mechanisms, creating opportunities for buffer overflows or use-after-free conditions that can be leveraged for privilege escalation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege elevation as it provides attackers with complete system compromise capabilities. Once elevated to kernel level, adversaries gain unrestricted access to all system resources including file systems, registry entries, network connections, and memory spaces. This makes the vulnerability particularly dangerous for enterprise environments where it could enable lateral movement, data exfiltration, and persistent backdoor establishment. The attack surface is broad since the vulnerability affects various Windows versions including windows 7, 8, 10, and server variants, making it a prime target for widespread exploitation. Network-based attacks are particularly effective as the vulnerability can be triggered through standard socket operations without requiring local system access, aligning with attack techniques categorized under the MITRE ATT&CK framework's privilege escalation and persistence domains.
Security researchers have identified this vulnerability as mapping to CWE-119 which describes weaknesses in memory management, specifically related to insufficient bounds checking and improper handling of memory buffers. The vulnerability demonstrates characteristics of CWE-787 which involves writing to memory outside of the intended buffer boundaries, and CWE-476 which addresses null pointer dereferences that can occur in kernel-mode drivers. Mitigation strategies should focus on immediate patch deployment through Microsoft's security updates, which address the underlying memory handling issues in the afd.sys driver. Additional protective measures include implementing network segmentation to limit access to vulnerable systems, enabling driver signature enforcement to prevent exploitation of unsigned malicious drivers, and configuring application whitelisting to restrict execution of potentially malicious network utilities. Organizations should also monitor for anomalous network traffic patterns and implement robust endpoint detection and response capabilities to identify exploitation attempts. The vulnerability highlights the critical importance of kernel-mode security and demonstrates how seemingly routine network operations can provide attack vectors for sophisticated privilege escalation techniques that align with ATT&CK's privilege escalation tactics.