#VU16457 Race condition in Windows and Windows Server - CVE-2018-8611

Vulnerability identifier: #VU16457

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 8.5 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:A/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-8611

CWE-ID: CWE-362

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Windows
Operating systems & Components / Operating system
Windows Server
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Microsoft

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

The vulnerability exists due to a race condition within the Kernel Transaction Manager driver (ntoskrnl.exe) when processing transacted file operations in kernel mode. A local user can create a specially program, and run arbitrary code on the system n kernel mode.

Note: the vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Windows: 7, 8.1 RT - 8.1, 10 1607 10.0.14393.10, 10 1703 10.0.15063.138, 10 1709 10.0.16299.19, 10 1803 10.0.17134.48, 10 1809 10.0.17763.1, 10

Windows Server: 2008 R2 - 2008, 2012 R2 - 2012, 2016 10.0.14393.10, 2019 10.0.17763.1 - 2019 1803

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External links
https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8611

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

Yes. This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.