Windows Kernel
CVE-2018-8589 — Windows Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
Executive Summary
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles calls to Win32k.sys. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code in the security context of the local system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights. To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker would first have to log on to the system. An attacker could then run a specially crafted application that could exploit the vulnerability and take control over an affected system. The update addresses the vulnerability by correcting how Windows handles calls to Win32k.
Overview
7.8
CVSS HIGH
Important
MS Severity
Exploited
MS Exploit Status
More Likely
MS Exploit Likelihood
CVSS Vector
ATTACK VECTOR
Local
ATTACK COMPLEXITY
Low
PRIVILEGES REQUIRED
Low
USER INTERACTION
None
SCOPE
Unchanged
CONFIDENTIALITY
High
INTEGRITY
High
AVAILABILITY
High
EXPLOIT CODE MATURITY
High
REMEDIATION LEVEL
Official Fix
REPORT CONFIDENCE
Confirmed
Temporal Score: 7.5
EPSS Score
0.03023
probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
0.86272 percentile - updated 2026-08-14
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Exploits & PoC
No public exploit or PoC has been linked for this CVE yet. When available, references are sourced from public repositories and may be unverified or non-functional — review carefully before use.
Detection Rules
No public Sigma or Nuclei detection rule has been mapped to this CVE yet. Coverage is concentrated on exploited / high-profile vulnerabilities; check SigmaHQ for updates.
References
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