CVE-2016-3309
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.
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.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H- securityfocus.com/bid/92297Broken LinkThird Party Advisory
- securitytracker.com/id/1036572Broken LinkThird Party Advisory
- docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2016/ms16-098PatchVendor Advisory
- exploit-db.com/exploits/42960/Broken LinkThird Party Advisory
- cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2016-3309US Government Resource
Actively exploited and used by ransomware crews. Patch immediately.
- Exploitation
- Confirmed in the wild (CISA KEV)
- Federal remediation deadline
- Overdue by 1666 days
- Ransomware
- Used in known ransomware campaigns
- CVSS
- 7.8 HIGH
- EPSS (30-day exploit probability)
- 20.5% · top 3% of all CVEs
- Weakness
- NVD-CWE-noinfo
- 1.Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- 2.Treat as emergency change: patch or isolate internet-facing instances first.
- 3.Hunt for compromise: review logs for the disclosure window, not just from the patch date.
- 4.Verify offline/immutable backups and segment the affected systems. This flaw is used for ransomware initial access.
Assessment is derived automatically from the live signals above; verify against your own asset inventory.