Windows 2003 ServerOperating system · Microsoft

CVE-2015-1701

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2015-04-21

Patch available

A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.

See remediation →

96/100

Remediation priority · Urgent

In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Public exploit Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

Win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista SP2, and Server 2008 SP2 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, as exploited in the wild in April 2015, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

Technical summary

dbcve analysis · high confidence

A privilege escalation vulnerability in Win32k.sys kernel-mode driver allows local attackers to gain elevated system privileges by running a crafted application. This flaw affects Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista SP2, and Server 2008 SP2 and was actively exploited in the wild in April 2015.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security patch (MS15-051) to all affected systems. For end-of-life systems that cannot be patched, implement compensating controls such as restricting local user permissions and deploying endpoint detection solutions.

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

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Windows 2003 ServerOperating system

Affected:all versions= r2

Windows 7Operating system

Affected:all versions

Windows Server 2008Operating system

Affected:all versions

Windows VistaOperating system

Affected:all versions

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

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

Am I affected?

dbcve checks

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

Check Windows version

Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' from command prompt

Affected if The version shows Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008 (any edition)
Verify if MS15-051 patch is installed

Run 'wmic qfe get hotfixid,installedon | findstr /i "KB3057191"' or check 'Installed Updates' in Control Panel for security update KB3057191

Affected if The patch KB3057191 is NOT listed among installed updates
Check Win32k.sys file version

Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sys, right-click Properties, and check the File Version field, or run 'powershell (Get-Item C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sys).VersionInfo.FileVersion'

Affected if The file version is older than the patched version for your specific Windows edition (patched versions vary by OS; compare against Microsoft's KB3057191 documentation)
Confirm vulnerability exposure via kernel driver

Verify the win32k.sys driver loads by running 'sc query win32k' or checking 'Driver Entry' in Win32k.sys properties - the driver is always loaded on affected GUI-based Windows systems

Affected if System is an affected Windows version AND the win32k.sys driver is present (standard on all GUI Windows installations) AND the MS15-051 patch is missing

A user is affected if they run any unpatched Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, or Windows Server 2008 system where the win32k.sys driver is present and security update KB3057191 has not been installed.

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

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Patch available Apply the vendor patch

Vendor patch docs.microsoft.com →

Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Microsoft security patch (MS15-051) to all affected systems. For end-of-life systems that cannot be patched, implement compensating controls such as restricting local user permissions and deploying endpoint detection solutions.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows Vista users should upgrade to at least Windows 7 (with MS15-051 applied), or preferably Windows 10/11; Windows Server 2003 users should upgrade to a supported server OS (2008 R2 or later); Windows 7/Server 2008 users should apply MS15-051 and plan migration to Windows 10/11 or Windows Server

1. Apply Microsoft Security Update MS15-051 (KB3057191) which addresses this vulnerability
2. For Windows Vista/2003 systems that have reached end-of-life, Microsoft no longer provides security updates; these systems should be migrated to supported operating systems
3. Verify the patch was applied successfully by checking Windows Update history or by reviewing installed updates
4. Ensure antivirus/endpoint detection software is updated and monitoring for indicators of compromise related to this vulnerability (e.g., win32k.sys exploits)

Caveat Windows 2003 and Vista are end-of-life with no security patches available; legacy application compatibility should be tested before OS upgrades

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

Fix this in Windows 2003 Server Exploited in the wild — priority engagement

Consultation6.0 h
Implementation12.0 h
Testing8.0 h
Review / QA4.0 h

30.0 hours of engineering $5,280

Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $8,448.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-1701 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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References

Primary sources

docs.microsoft.comPatch / commit
www.exploit-db.comProof of Concept
docs.microsoft.comPatchVendor Advisory
seclists.orgBroken LinkMailing ListThird Party Advisory
www.securityfocus.comBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.securitytracker.comBroken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.exploit-db.comExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.exploit-db.comExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
www.fireeye.comThird Party Advisory
twitter.comPress/Media Coverage
www.cisa.govUS Government Resource
nvd.nist.govNVD record

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2015-1701 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2015-1701?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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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

At a glance

Exploited in the wildOn CISA’s known-exploited list · agencies must fix by 2022-03-24

A fix existsA vendor remedy is published

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 56.2%

Affects: Windows 2003 Server

Remediation

Being exploited — close it fast

Fix this in Windows 2003 Server 30 hrs · Moderate

Typical engagement from $5,280

Get it fixed fast See the full breakdown ↓

This CVE is on CISA’s actively-exploited list, so the clock is real — a vetted specialist can deliver a reviewed fix for your staging environment quickly.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Check your environment

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Am I affected?

Remediation

References