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Windows 10 21h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2024-26170

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-03-12
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.19044.4170 / 10.0.19045.4170 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
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
Windows Composite Image File System (CimFS) 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

A local elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows Composite Image File System (CimFS) allows a locally authenticated attacker to gain higher system privileges by exploiting improper access controls within the CimFS kernel component.

MitigationApply the applicable Windows security update for this vulnerability through standard patch management processes; for systems where immediate patching is not feasible, restrict local user privileges and monitor for suspicious CIMFS-related API activity.

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 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19044.4170
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.4170
Windows 11 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22000.2836
Windows 11 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22621.3296
Windows 11 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22631.3296
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.2340
Windows Server 2022 23h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.25398.763

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 against affected ranges
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"' to obtain the exact Windows build number
    Affected if The installed build number is lower than 19044.4170 (Win10 21h2), 19045.4170 (Win10 22h2), 22000.2836 (Win11 21h2), 22621.3296 (Win11 22h2), 22631.3296 (Win11 23h2), 20348.2340 (Server 2022), or 25398.763 (Server 2022 23h2)
  2. Verify CimFS kernel component presence
    Check for the presence of cimfs.sys in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\ or query the driver with 'driverquery /v | findstr -i cimfs'
    Affected if The CimFS driver file exists on the system, indicating the vulnerable component is present
  3. Check for CIMFS-related services
    Run 'sc query cimfs' or 'Get-Service cimfs' to check if the CimFS service is registered
    Affected if The CimFS service is found on the system, meaning the attack surface is available for local exploitation

The system is affected if it runs a Windows version listed above AND the CimFS driver/service is present, allowing a locally authenticated user to potentially elevate privileges through improper access controls in the CimFS kernel component.

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 10.0.19044.4170 / 10.0.19045.4170 / 10.0.20348.2340 or later
Fixed in 10.0.19044.417010.0.19045.417010.0.20348.2340
Interim mitigation

Apply the applicable Windows security update for this vulnerability through standard patch management processes; for systems where immediate patching is not feasible, restrict local user privileges and monitor for suspicious CIMFS-related API activity.

Recommended fix High confidence

Install the March 2024 or later Windows Security Update (KB5034441 or subsequent security patches) for your specific Windows version

  1. Check current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. Ensure automatic Windows Updates is enabled via Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  3. Initiate a manual Windows Update check: Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates
  4. Install all cumulative updates and security patches provided in the latest Windows Update
  5. After installation, restart the system when prompted
  6. Verify the fix by confirming the installed build number matches or exceeds: Windows 10 21h2: 10.0.19044.4170, Windows 10 22h2: 10.0.19045.4170, Windows 11 21h2: 10.0.22000.2836, Windows 11 22h2: 10.0.22621.3296, Windows 11 23h2: 10.0.22631.3296, Windows Server 2022: 10.0.20348.2340, Windows Server 2022 23h2: 10.0.25398.763
  7. Alternatively, download and install the specific Cumulative Update from the Microsoft Update Catalog matching your Windows version
Caveat Standard Windows update; no breaking changes expected for typical deployments

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

Fix this in Windows 10 21h2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
11.0 hours of engineering $1,930
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,088.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-26170 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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