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Windows 10Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2018-8394

MEDIUM · 6.5 CVSS v3.0 Published 2018-08-15
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
72/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Remotely reachable No privileges

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
An information disclosure vulnerability exists when the Windows GDI component improperly discloses the contents of its memory, aka "Windows GDI Information Disclosure 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. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8396, CVE-2018-8398.

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 · moderate confidence

CVE-2018-8394 is an information disclosure vulnerability in the Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) component that improperly discloses the contents of its memory. This could allow an attacker to read sensitive data from memory, potentially aiding in further exploitation or information gathering. The vulnerability affects multiple Windows versions from Windows 7 through Windows 10 and various Windows Server editions.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2018-8394 via Windows Update or the Microsoft Security Update Guide. Verify that GDI-dependent applications and graphics rendering functions operate correctly after patching.

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 10Operating system
Affected:all versions= 1607= 1703= 1709= 1803
Windows 7Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Rt 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2016Operating system
Affected:all versions= 1709= 1803

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
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
None

CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N

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 exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version is Windows 7, 8.1, 10 (any version), Windows Rt 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Server 2012, Server 2016, or corresponding R2/1709/1803 builds
  2. Confirm GDI component is present
    GDI is built into Windows and requires no explicit enablement. Verify by checking that the system has graphical capabilities and gdi32.dll exists at C:\Windows\System32\gdi32.dll
    Affected if The system has a graphical interface and gdi32.dll is present (this is true for all affected Windows installations)
  3. Check for installed security updates
    Run 'systeminfo' and review the 'Hotfix(s)' section, or run 'Get-HotFix | Where-Object {$_.InstalledOn -ge "07/10/2018"}' in PowerShell to list security updates installed around or after July 2018
    Affected if No security updates from July 2018 or later are installed, meaning the CVE-2018-8394 patch is missing
  4. Verify specific GDI patch status
    Run 'Get-HotFix -Description "Security Update" | Select-Object HotFixID, Description, InstalledOn | Sort-Object InstalledOn -Descending' to enumerate installed security updates
    Affected if The specific security update for CVE-2018-8394 is not listed among installed hotfixes

A system is affected if it runs any of the affected Windows versions (7, 8.1, 10, Rt 8.1, Server 2008/2012/2016) and is missing the July 2018 security update that addresses this GDI memory disclosure vulnerability.

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.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2018-8394 via Windows Update or the Microsoft Security Update Guide. Verify that GDI-dependent applications and graphics rendering functions operate correctly after patching.

Fix this in Windows 10 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation1.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
6.0 hours of engineering $1,040
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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-2018-8394 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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