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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 18 Apr 2022. Known ransomware use
Windows 10 1507Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2018-8405

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2018-08-15
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 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
An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the DirectX Graphics Kernel (DXGKRNL) driver improperly handles objects in memory, aka "DirectX Graphics Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8400, CVE-2018-8401, CVE-2018-8406.

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

The DirectX Graphics Kernel (DXGKRNL) driver has an elevation of privilege vulnerability due to improper object handling in memory. This kernel-level flaw allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges by exploiting the graphics driver component.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update (KB4456656 or subsequent cumulative updates) to address the DXGKRNL driver vulnerability. For systems where immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to graphics-intensive applications and monitoring for suspicious kernel-mode activity.

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 10 1507Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1607Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1703Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1709Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 10 1803Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Rt 8.1Operating system
Affected:all versions
Windows Server 1709Operating system
Affected:all versions

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
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? 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. Check Windows version
    Run `winver` or open System Information (msinfo32) to identify the exact Windows version and build
    Affected if Version matches any of the affected products: Windows 10 1507, 1607, 1703, 1709, 1803, Windows 8.1, Windows Rt 8.1, or Windows Server 1709 (all versions)
  2. Verify DXGKRNL driver is present
    Check if C:\Windows\System32\dxgkrnl.sys exists on the system
    Affected if The driver file exists and the system uses DirectX graphics components
  3. Check DXGKRNL driver file version
    Right-click dxgkrnl.sys in System32, select Properties, then view Details for the File Version. Alternatively, run `driverquery /v | findstr dxgkrnl`
    Affected if Driver version corresponds to an unpatched build within the affected Windows version ranges
  4. Confirm graphics subsystem is active
    Open Device Manager, expand 'Display adapters' to confirm a graphics device is installed and enabled, or run `tasklist /m dxgkrnl.sys`
    Affected if Graphics adapter is enabled and the DXGKRNL driver is loaded into memory

The system is affected if it runs any unpatched version of Windows 10 1507-1803, Windows 8.1, Windows Rt 8.1, or Windows Server 1709 with the DXGKRNL graphics driver loaded.

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 portal.msrc.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update (KB4456656 or subsequent cumulative updates) to address the DXGKRNL driver vulnerability. For systems where immediate patching is not possible, consider restricting access to graphics-intensive applications and monitoring for suspicious kernel-mode activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

September 2018 Windows Security Updates (KB4457142 for Win10 1803, KB4457141 for Win10 1709, KB4457140 for Win10 1703, KB4457136 for Win10 1607, KB4457135 for Win10 1507, KB4457143 for Win8.1/RT8.1, KB4457131 for Windows Server 2016)

  1. Open Windows Update by clicking the Start button and selecting Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to see if the September 2018 security updates are available
  3. Install the relevant security update for your Windows version (e.g., KB4457142 for Windows 10 version 1803)
  4. Restart the computer to complete the installation
  5. Verify the update was installed successfully by checking the installed updates in Control Panel > Programs and Features > View installed updates
Caveat Standard risk associated with kernel-level driver updates; test in staging environment before broad deployment

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1507 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation1.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,390
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,224.

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-2018-8405 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