Microsoft Windows up to Server 2022 23H2 Update Stack access control

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Microsoft Windows. The affected element is an unknown function of the component Update Stack. Performing a manipulation results in access control. This vulnerability is cataloged as CVE-2024-38202. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. There is no exploit available. To fix this issue, it is recommended to deploy a patch.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Microsoft Windows. It has been classified as critical. This affects an unknown functionality of the component Update Stack. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a access control vulnerability. CWE is classifying the issue as CWE-284. The product does not restrict or incorrectly restricts access to a resource from an unauthorized actor. This is going to have an impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

Summary Microsoft was notified that an elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows Update, potentially enabling an attacker with basic user privileges to reintroduce previously mitigated vulnerabilities or circumvent some features of Virtualization Based Security (VBS). However, an attacker attempting to exploit this vulnerability requires additional interaction by a privileged user to be successful. Microsoft is developing a security update to mitigate this threat, but it is not yet available. Guidance to help customers reduce the risks associated with this vulnerability and to protect their systems until the mitigation is available in a Windows security update is provided in the Recommended Actions section of this CVE. This CVE will be updated, and customers will be notified when the official mitigation is available in a Windows security update. We highly encourage customers to subscribe to Security Update Guide notifications to receive an alert when this update occurs. Details A security researcher informed Microsoft of an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows Update potentially enabling an attacker with basic user privileges to reintroduce previously mitigated vulnerabilities or circumvent some features of VBS. For exploitation to succeed, an attacker must trick or convince an Administrator or a user with delegated permissions into performing a system restore which inadvertently triggers the vulnerability. Microsoft is developing a security update that will mitigate this vulnerability, but it is not yet available. This CVE will be updated with new information and links to the security updates once available. We highly encourage customers subscribe to Security Update Guide notifications to be alerted of updates. See Microsoft Technical Security Notifications and Security Update Guide Notification System News: Create your profile now – Microsoft Security Response Center. Microsoft is not aware of any attempts to exploit this vulnerability. However, a public presentation regarding this vulnerability was hosted at BlackHat on August 7, 2024. The presentation was appropriately coordinated with Microsoft but may change the threat landscape. Customers concerned with these risks should reference the guidance provided in the Recommended Actions section to protect their systems. Recommended Actions The following recommendations do not mitigate the vulnerability but can be used to reduce the risk of exploitation until the security update is available. Configure “Audit Object Access” settings to monitor attempts to access files, such as handle creation, read / write operations, or modifications to security descriptors. Audit File System - Windows 10 | Microsoft Learn Apply a basic audit policy on a file or folder - Windows 10 | Microsoft Learn Audit users with permission to perform Update and Restore operations to ensure only the appropriate users can perform these operations. Audit: Audit the use of Backup and Restore privilege (Windows 10) - Windows 10 | Microsoft Learn Implement an Access Control List or Discretionary Access Control Lists to restrict the access or modification of Update files and perform Restore operations to appropriate users, for example administrators only. Access Control overview | Microsoft Learn Discretionary Access Control Lists (DACL) Auditing sensitive privileges used to identify access, modification, or replacement of Update related files could help indicate attempts to exploit this vulnerability. Audit Sensitive Privilege Use - Windows 10 | Microsoft Learn

The weakness was shared 08/07/2024 as confirmed security update guide (Website). It is possible to read the advisory at msrc.microsoft.com. This vulnerability is uniquely identified as CVE-2024-38202. The exploitability is told to be easy. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. It demands that the victim is doing some kind of user interaction. The technical details are unknown and an exploit is not publicly available. The pricing for an exploit might be around USD $5k-$25k at the moment (estimation calculated on 05/20/2025). The attack technique deployed by this issue is T1068 according to MITRE ATT&CK.

It is declared as proof-of-concept.

Applying a patch is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at msrc.microsoft.com.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at EUVD (EUVD-2024-37170). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Microsoft

Name

• Windows

Version

• 10 21H2
• 10 22H2
• 10 1607
• 10 1809
• 11 21H2
• 11 22H2
• 11 23H2
• Server 2016
• Server 2019
• Server 2022
• Server 2022 23H2

License

• commercial

Website

• Vendor: https://www.microsoft.com/
• Product: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows

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Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

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