dbcve.org
Actively exploited in the wild. This CVE is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list — treat remediation as urgent. Federal remediation due by 30 May 2023.
Windows 10 1507Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2023-29336

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2023-05-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.10240.19926 / 10.0.14393.5921 or later.
See remediation →
96/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Public exploit 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 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 confidence

This is a Win32k elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows kernel-mode driver (win32k.sys), which handles the graphical subsystem. An attacker could exploit this to elevate from a low-privilege user to higher system privileges, potentially achieving code execution at kernel level.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2023-29336, which patches the win32k.sys driver vulnerability. Prioritize patching systems that are exposed or handle sensitive data.

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:< 10.0.10240.19926
Windows 10 1607Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.14393.5921
Windows Server 2008Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2012Operating system
Affected:all versions= r2
Windows Server 2016Operating 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 and build number
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' from command prompt to obtain the exact Windows version and build number
    Affected if The version is Windows 10 1507 with build < 10.0.10240.19926, Windows 10 1607 with build < 10.0.14393.5921, Windows Server 2008 (any version), Windows Server 2012 (any version), or Windows Server 2016 (any version)
  2. Verify win32k.sys file version
    Right-click C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys, select Properties, and view the File Version field; or run 'dir /a C:\Windows\System32\win32k.sys' to see version info
    Affected if The win32k.sys file version is older than the version that includes the security fix for this CVE (the file exists on all Windows systems with GUI components)
  3. Check installed updates for CVE-2023-29336
    Open Control Panel > Programs > View installed updates, or run 'wmic qfe list' to list installed hotfixes, and search for KB5028951 or related security update
    Affected if The security update for CVE-2023-29336 is not installed on the system

The system is affected if it runs any of the listed vulnerable Windows versions and lacks the corresponding security patch for CVE-2023-29336.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to 10.0.10240.19926 / 10.0.14393.5921 or later
Fixed in 10.0.10240.1992610.0.14393.5921
Vendor patch msrc.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2023-29336, which patches the win32k.sys driver vulnerability. Prioritize patching systems that are exposed or handle sensitive data.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Windows 10 1507: upgrade to 10.0.10240.19926 or later; Windows 10 1607: upgrade to 10.0.14393.5921 or later; Windows Server versions: apply corresponding KB5034441 or latest cumulative security update

  1. Verify current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. For Windows 10 1507: Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and install updates to reach version 10.0.10240.19926 or later
  3. For Windows 10 1607: Navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and install updates to reach version 10.0.14393.5921 or later
  4. For Windows Server 2008 R2: Apply security update KB5034441 or latest cumulative security update from Microsoft Update Catalog
  5. For Windows Server 2012 R2: Apply security update KB5034441 or latest cumulative security update from Microsoft Update Catalog
  6. For Windows Server 2016: Apply security update KB5034441 or latest cumulative security update from Microsoft Update Catalog
  7. Restart systems after applying updates
  8. Verify successful installation by checking installed updates via 'Get-HotFix' or reviewing update history
Caveat Standard Windows update applies; verify application compatibility in enterprise environments before 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
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,860
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $6,176.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-29336 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2023-29336 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