7.8 High Exploited

CVE-2018-8589 Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Active exploitation observed

· CISA KEV catalogue

Required action Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Ransomware campaigns Not observed so far

Description

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles calls to Win32k.sys, aka "Windows Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2.

Affected products and versions

Product	Affected versions	Fixed in
Windows Server 2008	Versions not published
Windows 7	Versions not published
Windows Server 2008 R2	Versions not published

References

105796 www.securityfocus.com
1042140 www.securitytracker.com
portal.msrc.microsoft.com portal.msrc.microsoft.com

Timeline

Published November 14, 2018
Added to the KEV catalogue May 23, 2022
Last modified October 21, 2025

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