Overview
Microsoft Windows Kernel contains an exposed IOCTL with insufficient access control vulnerability within the IOCTL (input and output control) dispatcher in appid.sys that allows a local attacker to achieve privilege escalation.
https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2024-21338; https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-21338
Key Details
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| CVE ID | CVE-2024-21338 |
| Vendor / Product | Microsoft — Windows |
| NVD Published | 2024-02-13 |
| NVD Last Modified | 2025-10-28 |
| CVSS 3.1 Score | 7.8 |
| CVSS 3.1 Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Severity | HIGH |
| CWE | CWE-822 |
| CISA KEV Added | 2024-03-04 |
| CISA KEV Deadline | 2024-03-25 |
| Known Ransomware Use | ⚠️ Yes |
CVSS 3.1 Breakdown
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Required Action
CISA BOD 22-01 Deadline: 2024-03-25.
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2024-03-04 | Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog |
| 2024-03-25 | CISA BOD 22-01 remediation deadline |
References
| Resource | Type |
|---|---|
| NVD — CVE-2024-21338 | Vulnerability Database |
| CISA KEV Catalog Entry | US Government |