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Windows 10 21h2Operating system · Microsoft

CVE-2024-38163

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 10.0.19041.3920 / 10.0.20348.2201 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 Update Stack 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

This is an Elevation of Privilege vulnerability in the Windows Update Stack component of Windows. A local, authenticated attacker could potentially exploit this vulnerability to gain elevated system privileges. The specific technical mechanism and affected Windows versions are not detailed in the available description.

MitigationApply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2024-38163 when available through Windows Update or Microsoft Update catalog. Follow least-privilege principles and restrict local administrator access to minimize attack surface.

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:< 10.0.19041.3920
Windows 10 22h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.19041.3920
Windows 11 21h2Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.22000.2710
Windows Server 2022Operating system
Affected:< 10.0.20348.2201

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 build number
    Run 'winver' or 'systeminfo' to retrieve the OS build number. Alternatively, run 'reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" /v CurrentBuild'
    Affected if The build number is lower than 19041.3920 for Windows 10, lower than 22000.2710 for Windows 11 21h2, or lower than 20348.2201 for Windows Server 2022
  2. Verify Windows edition matches affected product line
    Run 'systeminfo' or check the CurrentBuildNumber registry value to confirm the Windows version is 10.0.19041.x (21h2/22h2), 10.0.22000.x (21h2), or 10.0.20348.x (Server 2022)
    Affected if The Windows edition is 10 21h2, 10 22h2, 11 21h2, or Server 2022 and the build number falls below the fixed version thresholds
  3. Confirm Windows Update service is present
    Run 'sc query WuServicing' or check the Windows Update service status via Services.msc
    Affected if The Windows Update service exists and is installed, which is the default state on all affected Windows systems - the vulnerable component is part of this service

If the installed Windows build number is lower than 19041.3920, 22000.2710, or 20348.2201 (depending on version) and the system has the Windows Update component, it is likely affected by this privilege escalation vulnerability.

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 10.0.19041.3920 / 10.0.20348.2201 / 10.0.22000.2710 or later
Fixed in 10.0.19041.392010.0.20348.220110.0.22000.2710
Interim mitigation

Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2024-38163 when available through Windows Update or Microsoft Update catalog. Follow least-privilege principles and restrict local administrator access to minimize attack surface.

Recommended fix High confidence

Windows 10 21h2/22h2: KB5034441 (Build 10.0.19041.3920) | Windows 11 21h2: KB5034203 (Build 10.0.22000.2710) | Windows Server 2022: KB5034440 (Build 10.0.20348.2201)

  1. Check current Windows version by running 'winver' or 'systeminfo' in Command Prompt
  2. Open Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
  3. Click 'Check for updates' to download and install the cumulative update
  4. After installation, restart the computer when prompted
  5. Verify the update was installed by checking the Windows version matches or exceeds: Windows 10 (21h2/22h2): 10.0.19041.3920 | Windows 11 (21h2): 10.0.22000.2710 | Windows Server 2022: 10.0.20348.2201
Caveat Standard Windows cumulative update; test business-critical applications after update on production systems

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
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
Get the upgrade done

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

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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-2024-38163 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