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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 15 Jun 2022.
Windows 7Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2015-2360

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2015-06-10
Patch available
A vendor patch is available. No clean upgrade release — apply the published patch.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Remotely reachable Zero-click 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 and R2 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 or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via a crafted application, aka "Win32k 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

A privilege escalation vulnerability in win32k.sys allows local attackers to exploit memory corruption in the Windows kernel-mode driver to elevate from user privileges to kernel-level privileges, or cause a denial of service.

MitigationApply Microsoft security update MS15-061 which addresses this Win32k Elevation of Privilege vulnerability. Prioritize patching given the high CVSS score and local privilege escalation capability.

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= r2
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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/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. Identify Windows version
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to determine the Windows version
    Affected if Version matches Windows 7, 8, 8.1, Rt, Rt 8.1, Server 2003, Server 2008, or Server 2012 (any edition)
  2. Check if MS15-061 security update is installed
    Run 'wmic qfe get hotfixid,installedon | findstr /i "KB3057839"' or check Windows Update history for security update KB3057839
    Affected if The security update KB3057839 is NOT installed (system is unpatched)
  3. Verify win32k.sys version
    Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sys, right-click properties, and check the File Version on the Details tab, or run 'dir /a C:\Windows\System32\drivers\win32k.sys' to see version info
    Affected if The win32k.sys version is older than the patched version for your specific Windows release (unpatched)
  4. Confirm vulnerability is exploitable locally
    Verify the system allows local user accounts (non-admin) to log on interactively. Check via 'gpedit.msc' -> Computer Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Security Settings -> Local Policies -> User Rights Assignment -> Allow log on locally
    Affected if Untrusted local users have interactive logon access to the system (attack vector is present)

The system is affected if it runs any affected Windows version listed AND lacks security update KB3057839, allowing untrusted local users potential privilege escalation via win32k.sys memory corruption.

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 update MS15-061 which addresses this Win32k Elevation of Privilege vulnerability. Prioritize patching given the high CVSS score and local privilege escalation capability.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Apply the relevant Microsoft security update for your Windows version (MS15-061 or later cumulative update). For Windows 10 and later, this is included in the cumulative security updates.

  1. Apply Microsoft security update MS15-061 (or subsequent cumulative update containing the fix for CVE-2015-2360) via Windows Update or Microsoft Update Catalog
  2. For Windows 7: Install Security Update 3063858 (MS15-061)
  3. For Windows 8/8.1: Install Security Update 3063858 (MS15-061)
  4. For Windows Server 2008 R2: Install Security Update 3063858 (MS15-061)
  5. For Windows Server 2012/2012 R2: Install Security Update 3063858 (MS15-061)
  6. Restart the system after applying the update
  7. Verify the win32k.sys version matches the patched version (check file properties)
Caveat None expected from this kernel driver patch; may require restart

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

Fix this in Windows 7 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2015-2360 — 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 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-2015-2360 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