CVE-2018-8440

KEVRansomware UseMicrosoft Windows Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Description

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles calls to Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC).

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles calls to Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC), aka "Windows ALPC Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers.

CVSS 3.1 vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

PublishedSep 13, 2018

Last modifiedJun 17, 2026

Added to KEVMar 28, 2022

Remediation dueApr 18, 2022

References

securityfocus.com/bid/105153Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
securitytracker.com/id/1041578Third Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
blog.0patch.com/2018/08/how-we-micropatched-publicly-dropped.htmlExploitPatch
blog.0patch.com/2018/09/comparing-our-micropatch-with.htmlThird Party Advisory
portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8440PatchVendor Advisory
cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-8440US Government Resource

0 recent articles mention this CVE

Risk assessment · Critical

Actively exploited and used by ransomware crews. Patch immediately.

Exploitation: Confirmed in the wild (CISA KEV)
Federal remediation deadline: Overdue by 1653 days
Ransomware: Used in known ransomware campaigns
CVSS: 7.8 HIGH
EPSS (30-day exploit probability): 18.5% · top 3% of all CVEs
Weakness: NVD-CWE-noinfo

Recommended actions

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.