dbcve.org
Windows 10 21h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2024-26238

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-05-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.19044.4412 / 10.0.19045.4412 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
Microsoft PLUGScheduler Scheduled Task 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 Microsoft Windows where the PLUGScheduler scheduled task can be exploited to gain higher privileges. The vulnerability allows an authenticated attacker to potentially execute code with elevated privileges by manipulating the scheduled task configuration or its associated components.

MitigationApply the relevant Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability. If patches are unavailable or as an interim measure, review and secure the PLUGScheduler scheduled task configuration to prevent unauthorized modification.

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:< 10.0.19044.4412
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19045.4412

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 10 version build number
    Run `winver` or `systeminfo` or `Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsVersion,OsBuildNumber` to find the exact build number
    Affected if The build number is less than 19044.4412 for 21h2 or less than 19045.4412 for 22h2
  2. Verify PLUGScheduler scheduled task exists
    Run `Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "PLUGScheduler" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue` or `schtasks /Query /TN "PLUGScheduler"`
    Affected if The PLUGScheduler task is present on the system
  3. Check PLUGScheduler task configuration and trigger details
    Run `Get-ScheduledTaskInfo -TaskName "PLUGScheduler" -Verbose` to view the task actions, triggers, and execution context
    Affected if The task runs with elevated privileges or under a system account and has configurable action paths
  4. Audit permissions on PLUGScheduler task
    Run `Get-Acl (Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "PLUGScheduler").TaskPath -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue` or use `schtasks /Query /TN "PLUGScheduler" /V` to see who can modify or run the task
    Affected if Non-admin users or the attacker-controlled account has modify permissions on the task

The system is affected if it runs a vulnerable Windows 10 21h2/22h2 build AND contains the PLUGScheduler task that can be manipulated by untrusted users to achieve privilege escalation.

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 10.0.19044.4412 / 10.0.19045.4412 or later
Fixed in 10.0.19044.441210.0.19045.4412
Interim mitigation

Apply the relevant Microsoft security updates for this vulnerability. If patches are unavailable or as an interim measure, review and secure the PLUGScheduler scheduled task configuration to prevent unauthorized modification.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 21h2 build 10.0.19044.4412 or later / Windows 10 22h2 build 10.0.19045.4412 or later

  1. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  2. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the latest Windows security updates
  3. Alternatively, manually install KB5034441 for Windows 10 21h2 or KB5034451 for Windows 10 22h2 from the Microsoft Update Catalog
  4. Restart the computer after installing the update
  5. Verify the update was installed by running 'winver' and confirming the build number is 10.0.19044.4412 or higher for 21h2, or 10.0.19045.4412 or higher for 22h2

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
  • Implementation3.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
8.0 hours of engineering $1,420
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $2,272.

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-2024-26238 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