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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 5 Mar 2024. Known ransomware use
Windows 10 1809Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2024-21412

HIGH · 8.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-13
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.17763.5458 / 10.0.19044.4046 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
In the wild Ransomware High EPSS Remotely reachable No privileges 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
Internet Shortcut Files 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 confidence

This vulnerability allows bypassing security features in Windows internet shortcut (.url) files, potentially enabling execution of malicious code or scripts through specially crafted shortcuts that evade protective mechanisms.

MitigationApply Microsoft security updates for affected Windows versions; restrict handling of untrusted .url files and disable automatic processing of internet shortcuts in high-risk environments.

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 1809Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.5458
Windows 10 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.4046
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.4046
Windows 11 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22000.2777
Windows 11 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22621.3155
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.3155
Windows Server 2019Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.17763.5458
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.2322

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
None

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

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 build version
    Open Command Prompt and run 'winver' or use 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Version"' to display the installed Windows build number
    Affected if The build number displayed is below 17763.5458 for Windows 10 1809/Server 2019, below 19044.4046 for Windows 10 21h2, below 19045.4046 for Windows 10 22h2, below 22000.2777 for Windows 11 21h2, below 22621.3155 for Windows 11 22h2, below 22631.3155 for Windows 11 23h2, or below 20348.2322 for Window
  2. Confirm Windows release version
    Note the Windows release name shown in winver (such as 'Version 1809', 'Version 21H2', 'Version 22H2') or check the Windows edition in System Properties
    Affected if The release matches any of the affected versions listed in the CVE documentation
  3. Determine if .url file processing applies
    This vulnerability affects how Windows processes Internet Shortcut (.url) files. The flaw exists in the Windows shell handling of these files regardless of specific user actions
    Affected if Running an affected Windows version means the vulnerability is present in the system's handling of .url files

You are affected if your Windows build number is lower than the fixed build for your specific Windows release, as listed in the affected versions.

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 10.0.17763.5458 / 10.0.19044.4046 / 10.0.19045.4046 or later
Fixed in 10.0.17763.545810.0.19044.404610.0.19045.4046
Vendor patch msrc.microsoft.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply Microsoft security updates for affected Windows versions; restrict handling of untrusted .url files and disable automatic processing of internet shortcuts in high-risk environments.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 1809: 10.0.17763.5458 | Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.4046 | Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.4046 | Windows 11 21h2: 10.0.22000.2777 | Windows 11 22h2: 10.0.22621.3155 | Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.3155 | Windows Server 2019: 10.0.17763.5458 | Windows Server 2022: 10.0.20348.2322

  1. Check current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. Identify the appropriate security update for CVE-2024-21412 from Microsoft Update Catalog (released February 2024)
  3. Apply the security update via Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates)
  4. Alternatively, download the specific KB (KB5002537 or subsequent relevant security update) from Microsoft Update Catalog and install manually
  5. Restart the system after installation to complete the remediation
  6. Verify the installed version meets or exceeds the fixed version for your Windows edition

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

Fix this in Windows 10 1809 Exploited in the wild — priority engagement
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get it fixed fast

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-21412 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

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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-2024-21412 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