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Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 25 May 2022.
Windows 7Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2014-4113

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2014-10-15
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
97/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild High EPSS Public exploit No privileges Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, and Windows RT Gold and 8.1 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, as exploited in the wild in October 2014, aka "Win32k.sys Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

win32k.sys kernel-mode driver in multiple Windows versions contains a privilege escalation vulnerability allowing local authenticated users to execute arbitrary code with elevated (kernel) privileges via a crafted application. This was actively exploited in the wild in October 2014.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates KB3000061 (for Server 2008 and later) or KB3006226 (for Server 2003) to address the win32k.sys vulnerability; prioritize systems exposed to untrusted users.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows RtOperating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Rt 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2003Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Confirm Windows version is in the affected list
    Open Command Prompt and run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"'. Verify the displayed version is Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Rt, Windows Rt 8.1, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, or Windows Server 2012 R2.
    Affected if The system runs any of the listed affected Windows versions (Windows 7, 8, 8.1, Rt, Rt 8.1, Server 2003, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2).
  2. Check if security update KB3000061 is installed
    Open Command Prompt and run 'wmic qfe get hotfixid | findstr KB3000061' (for Server 2008 and later systems). Alternatively, open Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates and search for KB3000061.
    Affected if The security update KB3000061 is NOT installed on the system.
  3. Check if security update KB3006226 is installed (Server 2003 only)
    If the system is Windows Server 2003, open Command Prompt and run 'wmic qfe get hotfixid | findstr KB3006226' or check Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates for KB3006226.
    Affected if The system is Windows Server 2003 and KB3006226 is NOT installed.
  4. Verify win32k.sys file version as secondary check
    Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\ (or C:\Winnt\System32\ for Server 2003), right-click on win32k.sys, select Properties, and check the File Version on the Details tab. Alternatively, run 'dir C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys' to see the file version.
    Affected if The win32k.sys version matches the original vulnerable version for the installed Windows build and no corresponding security update is installed.

A user is affected if they are running any of the listed Windows versions (7, 8, 8.1, Rt, Rt 8.1, Server 2003, Server 2008, Server 2008 R2, Server 2012, Server 2012 R2) without the corresponding security update (KB3000061 for Server 2008 and later, KB3006226 for Server 2003) installed.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Patch available Apply the vendor patch
Vendor patch docs.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates KB3000061 (for Server 2008 and later) or KB3006226 (for Server 2003) to address the win32k.sys vulnerability; prioritize systems exposed to untrusted users.

Recommended fix High confidence
  1. Open Windows Update (Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) or Microsoft Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to scan for available patches
  3. Look for security update MS14-058 in the results - this patch addresses CVE-2014-4113
  4. If the update is not automatically offered, search Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB3000061 for manual download links
  5. Install the update and restart the computer when prompted
  6. Alternatively, apply the update via WSUS, SCCM, or enterprise patch management tools if centrally managed

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Windows 7 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,200
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $5,120.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-4113 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data