CVE-2024-49083 in Windows
Summary
by MITRE • 12/12/2024
Windows Mobile Broadband Driver Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/03/2026
This vulnerability resides in the Windows Mobile Broadband driver component that handles mobile network connections and data transmission for cellular devices. The flaw represents a privilege escalation weakness that allows attackers to elevate their access rights from standard user level to system-level privileges, effectively bypassing critical security controls. The vulnerability manifests through improper input validation and insufficient access control mechanisms within the driver's handling of mobile broadband connection requests and configuration changes. Attackers can exploit this weakness by crafting malicious payloads that manipulate driver interfaces to gain unauthorized administrative access to affected systems.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability stems from inadequate privilege checking mechanisms within the mobile broadband driver subsystem. When legitimate users attempt to establish or modify mobile network connections, the driver fails to properly validate the privileges of the requesting process before executing sensitive operations. This weakness creates an opportunity for attackers to inject malicious code through specially crafted network connection attempts or configuration modifications that trigger the vulnerable driver functions. The flaw typically requires local system access to exploit initially but can potentially be leveraged remotely if other attack vectors exist within the mobile broadband infrastructure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple privilege escalation, as it provides adversaries with complete control over affected systems including the ability to install malicious software, modify system configurations, access sensitive data, and establish persistent backdoors. This vulnerability affects multiple Windows versions including various releases of Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, and related operating systems that support mobile broadband connectivity features. The attack surface includes any device running Windows with active mobile broadband capabilities, making it particularly dangerous in enterprise environments where mobile connectivity is prevalent.
Security researchers have classified this vulnerability under CWE-269 which describes improper privilege management issues, while threat actors leveraging this flaw often map it to ATT&CK technique T1068 for privilege escalation. Organizations should implement immediate mitigations including applying Microsoft security updates, disabling unnecessary mobile broadband features, implementing strict access controls, and monitoring for suspicious driver activity patterns. System administrators must also consider restricting user accounts from making direct modifications to network configuration settings and ensure that only authorized personnel have access to mobile broadband management interfaces. Additional protective measures include enabling driver signature enforcement, implementing application whitelisting policies, and conducting regular vulnerability assessments of mobile broadband components to prevent exploitation attempts.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper privilege validation in kernel-mode drivers where insufficient security controls can provide attackers with complete system compromise. The flaw highlights the ongoing challenges in securing complex networking subsystems where multiple components must interact securely while maintaining appropriate access controls. Organizations should maintain comprehensive patch management programs specifically targeting mobile broadband driver components and consider deploying endpoint protection solutions that monitor for anomalous driver behavior patterns characteristic of privilege escalation attempts.