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Out-of-bounds WriteWeakness · CWE-787

CVE-2024-12668

HIGH · 8.2 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Zero-click

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
Velocidex WinPmem versions below 4.1 suffer from an Out of Bounds Write vulnerability. By using an IO Control, a user space program can trick the driver into writing a 0 into any chosen memory location. In conjunction with information leakage from the WinPmem driver, attackers can discover the location in memory for the g_CiOptions global symbol. This can be leveraged to disable signed driver enforcement on the target system - allowing attackers to load unsigned drivers.

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 · high confidence

WinPmem driver versions below 4.1 contain an out-of-bounds write vulnerability via a specific IO Control that allows user-mode programs to write the value 0 to arbitrary memory addresses. Combined with an information leakage flaw that reveals the location of the g_CiOptions global symbol, attackers can disable Code Integrity signed driver enforcement, enabling the loading of unsigned kernel drivers.

MitigationUpgrade WinPmem to version 4.1 or later. Additionally, restrict driver loading policies and monitor for unauthorized driver installation attempts.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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
High
User interaction
None
Scope
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:C/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. Confirm WinPmem driver presence
    Search for winpmem.sys or similar WinPmem driver files in the system driver directory (typically System32\drivers) and any memory forensics tool directories
    Affected if WinPmem driver files are found on the system
  2. Determine driver version
    Right-click the driver file, select Properties, and check the File Version field. Alternatively, use a command like 'driverquery /v | findstr winpmem' to list loaded driver versions
    Affected if The installed version is below 4.1 (e.g., 4.0.x, 3.x, etc.)
  3. Verify if driver is loaded
    Check if the driver is currently loaded in memory using 'driverquery /v' or by reviewing loaded kernel drivers via tools likeAutoruns or Procmon
    Affected if The WinPmem driver is currently loaded and running in kernel mode with a version below 4.1
  4. Identify exposed IOCTL interface
    Use tools like WinObj or Process Monitor to enumerate the device object created by WinPmem and identify the IO Control Code interface it exposes
    Affected if A WinPmem device object with an accessible IOCTL interface exists and the driver version is below 4.1

The system is affected if the WinPmem driver is installed with a version lower than 4.1 and is currently loaded or accessible, as this combination enables the out-of-bounds write and information leakage flaws to be exploited.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade WinPmem to version 4.1 or later. Additionally, restrict driver loading policies and monitor for unauthorized driver installation attempts.

Recommended fix High confidence

WinPmem 4.1 or later

  1. Identify the current WinPmem version installed on the target system
  2. Download WinPmem version 4.1 or later from the official Velocidex GitHub repository (github.com/velocidex/WinPmem)
  3. Replace the existing vulnerable WinPmem driver (.sys file) with the fixed version 4.1
  4. Re-register the driver if necessary using appropriate system utilities (e.g., sc create or similar)
  5. Verify the installed driver version matches 4.1 or later to confirm the remediation
Caveat Minimal risk; this is a security-focused driver update to fix a privilege escalation vulnerability

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

Have this fixed Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,920
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,072.

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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-2024-12668 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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