CVE-2023-21748
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 · uneditedWindows Kernel 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 · moderate confidenceCVE-2023-21748 is a Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability. The vulnerability exists in the Windows kernel and allows a local attacker to elevate their privileges to kernel level. This could enable an attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges, potentially taking full control of the affected system.
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 dataall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsall versionsCVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify Windows version and build numberOpen Command Prompt and run 'systeminfo' or 'winver'. Look for the OS Name, Version, and Build number fields.Affected if The displayed version matches any of these affected releases: Windows 10 versions 1607, 1809, 20H2, 21H2, 22H2; Windows 11 versions 21H2, 22H2; or Windows 7 (any edition).
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Verify if the security update is installedOpen Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' in Command Prompt. Search for the security update corresponding to CVE-2023-21748 (typically dated January 2023 or later).Affected if The specific CVE-2023-21748 security update is NOT listed among installed updates.
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Confirm kernel-level access is exploitableThis is a local privilege escalation requiring an attacker to already have access to the system (such as a low-privileged user account). Verify that untrusted local users exist or that the system runs applications with limited privileges.Affected if The system has multiple local users or runs untrusted code, and the CVE-2023-21748 patch is missing.
You are affected if your Windows installation matches any of the listed affected versions (10 1607/1809/20H2/21H2/22H2, 11 21H2/22H2, or 7) and the CVE-2023-21748 security update has not been applied.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
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 dataApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2023-21748, which is included in the relevant Windows security patch. Prioritize patching systems that are directly exposed or handle sensitive data.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 h
- Review / QA1.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,800.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-21748 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2023-21748 in production — separate from our analysis above.
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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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.
- 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