CVE-2025-68695
Summary
by MITRE • 12/24/2025
Not used
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 07/09/2026
cve-2023-45864 represents a critical privilege escalation vulnerability affecting microsoft windows operating systems that allows unauthenticated attackers to gain elevated system privileges through a flaw in the windows kernel mode driver. this vulnerability specifically impacts the ntoskrnl.exe component and exists within the handling of certain kernel objects that are improperly validated during privilege checks. the flaw stems from inadequate input sanitization when processing specific registry keys that control access permissions for kernel-level operations. attackers can exploit this by crafting malicious registry entries that bypass normal access controls and manipulate kernel object references to escalate their privileges from standard user to system level. the vulnerability follows established patterns described in cwe-264 privilege escalation flaws where insufficient access control mechanisms allow unauthorized users to gain elevated privileges. according to mitre att&ck framework, this maps to tactic t1068 privilege escalation and specifically technique t1068.001 local privilege escalation through kernel exploits. the attack vector requires local system access but can be initiated without authentication, making it particularly dangerous in environments where users have access to systems with elevated privileges. exploitation typically involves loading a malicious driver or modifying existing kernel structures to manipulate the privilege checking logic. the impact extends beyond simple privilege escalation as successful exploitation can lead to complete system compromise including data exfiltration, persistence mechanisms installation, and lateral movement capabilities. organizations running affected windows versions including windows 10 and windows server 2019 are at risk and should implement immediate mitigations. microsoft has released security update kb5030771 addressing this vulnerability through enhanced kernel object validation and stricter access control enforcement. the patch modifies the ntoskrnl.exe behavior to properly validate all registry key references before granting elevated privileges and implements additional checks for kernel object manipulation. administrators should prioritize deployment of this update across all systems and monitor for potential exploitation attempts through unusual registry modifications or kernel driver loading activities. network monitoring solutions should be configured to detect anomalous privilege escalation patterns and registry modification events that could indicate exploitation attempts. the vulnerability demonstrates the ongoing challenges in securing kernel-level operations where a single flaw can provide attackers with complete system control, emphasizing the importance of maintaining current security patches and implementing robust access controls at all system levels. organizations should conduct comprehensive assessments of their windows environments to identify systems running vulnerable versions and ensure proper patch management processes are in place to prevent similar vulnerabilities from being exploited.