CVE-2023-32049
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 SmartScreen Security Feature Bypass 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 confidenceThis is a security feature bypass vulnerability in Windows SmartScreen, a security component that helps protect PCs by warning users about potentially malicious files and websites. The vulnerability allows attackers to circumvent SmartScreen protections, potentially enabling malware execution or phishing attacks to bypass this security layer.
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< 10.0.14393.6085< 10.0.17763.4645< 10.0.19041.3208< 10.0.19045.3208< 10.0.22000.2176< 10.0.22621.1992all 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
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- Required
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/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.
-
Identify Windows version and build numberOpen Command Prompt or PowerShell and run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to retrieve the installed Windows version and build number.Affected if The version falls within any of these affected ranges: Windows 10 1607 (build < 14393.6085), Windows 10 1809 (build < 17763.4645), Windows 10 21h2 (build < 19041.3208), Windows 10 22h2 (build < 19045.3208), Windows 11 21h2 (build < 22000.2176), Windows 11 22h2 (build < 22621.1992), or is Windows Ser
-
Confirm SmartScreen is presentCheck if Windows SmartScreen is available on the system. On Windows 10/11, open Windows Security > App and browser control > Reputation-based protection settings. On Server systems, SmartScreen may not be enabled by default.Affected if SmartScreen feature is present on the system (it is a built-in Windows defense-in-depth feature).
-
Verify SmartScreen statusCheck the SmartScreen status via Group Policy (gpedit.msc) under Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Defender SmartScreen > Explorer, or via registry key 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System\EnableSmartScreen' or through Windows Security settings.Affected if SmartScreen is enabled on the system (the vulnerability enables bypass when SmartScreen is present and expecting to check files against Microsoft reputation databases).
A system is affected if it runs any Windows version listed in the affected ranges (or is Windows Server 2016/2019) AND has SmartScreen available, since the bypass allows malicious files to run without triggering expected security warnings.
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.
dbcve · scoped10.0.14393.608510.0.17763.464510.0.19041.3208
Apply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2023-32049, which is addressed in the relevant Windows security patch. Ensure Windows Update is enabled and systems are patched within organizational SLAs.
Apply the appropriate Windows Cumulative Update: Windows 10 1607 to 10.0.14393.6085+, Windows 10 1809 to 10.0.17763.4645+, Windows 10 21H2 to 10.0.19041.3208+, Windows 10 22H2 to 10.0.19045.3208+, Windows 11 21H2 to 10.0.22000.2176+, Windows 11 22H2 to 10.0.22621.1992+, or install latest Cumulative
- Identify the exact Windows version and build number by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo'
- Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
- Click 'Check for updates' to install the latest cumulative update
- For Windows Server 2016 and 2019, apply the relevant Cumulative Update from Microsoft's Update Catalog (KB5029233 for Server 2016, KB5029244 for Server 2019)
- Restart the system after installing the update
- Verify the fix by checking the installed update history or running 'winver' to confirm the build number matches or exceeds the fixed versions listed
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation1.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing1.0 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 $1,424.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2023-32049 — 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-2023-32049 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
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.
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