Vulnerability identifier: #VU5553

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv3.1: 8.4 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2015-1701

CWE-ID: CWE-264

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: Yes

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

Vendor: Microsoft

Description
The vulnerability allows a local attacker to gain elevated privileges on the target system.

The weakness exists due to improper access control. A local attacker can create a specially crafted application, execute a callback in userspace and use data from the System token to execute arbitrary code on the system with root privileges.

Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may result in arbitrary code execution on the vulnerable system.

Note: the vulnerability was being actively exploited.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Windows: Vista, 7

Windows Server: 2008

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External links
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/security/ms15-051

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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.