{"id":"CVE-2019-0841","published":"2019-04-09T21:29:01Z","modified":"2026-06-17T02:09:01Z","title":"Microsoft Windows AppX Deployment Service (AppXSVC) Privilege Escalation Vulnerability","vendor":"Microsoft","product":"Windows","tier":"core","eol":null,"description":{"text":"An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows AppX Deployment Service (AppXSVC) improperly handles hard links, aka 'Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability'. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2019-0730, CVE-2019-0731, CVE-2019-0796, CVE-2019-0805, CVE-2019-0836.","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"summary":{"text":"The flaw lies in the Windows AppX Deployment Service (AppXSVC) in Microsoft Windows, which improperly handles hard links, leading to an elevation of privilege condition. An attacker with local access and low-privileged credentials can exploit it to gain elevated privileges, with no user interaction required.","provenance":"ai","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","generatedAt":"2026-10-29T08:31:08Z"},"cvss":{"score":7.8,"severity":"HIGH","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"epss":{"score":0.414,"percentile":0.98669,"date":"2026-10-28","provenance":"source"},"kev":{"dateAdded":"2022-03-15","dueDate":"2022-04-05","ransomware":true,"requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","notes":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-0841","provenance":"source"},"vulncheckKev":{"dateAdded":"2022-03-15","exploitedFirstSeen":"2022-03-15","ransomware":true,"evidence":[{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json","date":"2022-03-15"},{"url":"https://www.tenable.com/blog/contileaks-chats-reveal-over-30-vulnerabilities-used-by-conti-ransomware-affiliates","date":"2022-03-24"},{"url":"https://www.securin.io/articles/all-about-conti-ransomware/","date":"2022-06-29"}],"evidenceTotal":3,"provenance":"source"},"exploited":true,"otx":{"pulseCount":50,"pulses":[{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 29, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae20c1db17e7057ae7d9ad1","created":"2026-10-28"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 28, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae0ba7e0e2a97ff7b218819","created":"2026-10-27"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 27, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adf68b85c3e852f3c111d18","created":"2026-10-26"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adb740e397c3ad4799aa4cd","created":"2026-10-23"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ada236fcfba2dfa730ea482","created":"2026-10-22"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad8d33a077cbb5cab524d80","created":"2026-10-21"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 21, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad78130c4d1ac2be83a8b6d","created":"2026-10-20"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 20, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad62f63c24a405a3423cc13","created":"2026-10-19"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 19, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad4dda174e5797d0bd238b7","created":"2026-10-18"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 18, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad38c22e1848f8189d1c121","created":"2026-10-17"}],"provenance":"machine"},"cwes":[{"id":"CWE-59","name":"Improper Link Resolution Before File Access"}],"references":[{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152463/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153009/Internet-Explorer-JavaScript-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153114/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153215/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153642/AppXSvc-Hard-Link-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2019-0841","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46683/","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-19-360/","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152463/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153009/Internet-Explorer-JavaScript-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153114/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153215/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153642/AppXSvc-Hard-Link-Privilege-Escalation.html","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2019-0841","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46683/","tags":["Exploit","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/advisories/ZDI-19-360/","tags":["Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-0841","tags":["US Government Resource"]}],"techniques":[{"id":"T1078","name":"Valid Accounts","tactics":["initial-access","persistence","privilege-escalation","stealth"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: local low-privilege account needed; PR:L","mappingType":"exploitation_technique","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows AppX Deployment Service (AppXSVC) improperly handles hard links","start":0,"end":123}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"},{"id":"T1068","name":"Exploitation for Privilege Escalation","tactics":["privilege-escalation"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: hard link abuse escalates to higher privilege","mappingType":"primary_impact","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows AppX Deployment Service (AppXSVC) improperly handles hard links","start":0,"end":123}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"}],"reports":[],"affected":[],"advisories":[],"euvd":{"id":"EUVD-2019-1592","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2019-1592","exploited":true,"exploitedSince":"2022-03-15","provenance":"source"},"exploits":[{"id":46683,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46683","title":"Microsoft Windows - AppX Deployment Service Privilege Escalation","type":"local","platform":"windows","date":"2019-04-09","verified":false,"provenance":"source"},{"id":46938,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46938","title":"Microsoft Windows - AppX Deployment Service Local Privilege Escalation (2)","type":"local","platform":"windows","date":"2019-05-23","verified":false,"provenance":"source"},{"id":46976,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46976","title":"Microsoft Windows - AppX Deployment Service Local Privilege Escalation (3)","type":"local","platform":"windows","date":"2019-06-07","verified":false,"provenance":"source"},{"id":47128,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/47128","title":"Microsoft Windows 10 < build 17763 - AppXSvc Hard Link Privilege Escalation (Metasploit)","type":"local","platform":"windows","date":"2019-07-16","verified":true,"provenance":"source"},{"id":47128,"url":"https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/47128","title":"Microsoft Windows 10 < build 17763 - AppXSvc Hard Link Privilege Escalation (Metasploit)","type":"local","platform":"windows","date":"2019-07-16","verified":true,"provenance":"source"}],"exploitSources":{"exploitdb":{"count":5,"earliest":"2019-04-09"},"pocGithub":{"count":3,"skipped":1,"earliest":"2019-04-05","earliestUrl":"https://github.com/rogue-kdc/CVE-2019-0841","repos":[{"name":"rogue-kdc/CVE-2019-0841","url":"https://github.com/rogue-kdc/CVE-2019-0841","stars":240,"created":"2019-04-05"},{"name":"0x00-0x00/CVE-2019-0841-BYPASS","url":"https://github.com/0x00-0x00/CVE-2019-0841-BYPASS","stars":58,"created":"2019-06-11"},{"name":"likekabin/CVE-2019-0841","url":"https://github.com/likekabin/CVE-2019-0841","stars":2,"created":"2019-04-10"}]},"metasploit":[{"name":"AppXSvc Hard Link Privilege Escalation","module":"exploit/windows/local/appxsvc_hard_link_privesc","type":"exploit","disclosureDate":"2019-04-09","url":"https://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/windows/local/appxsvc_hard_link_privesc.rb"}],"first":{"date":"2019-04-05","source":"PoC-in-GitHub","url":"https://github.com/rogue-kdc/CVE-2019-0841"},"provenance":"source"},"exploitRefs":["http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153642/AppXSvc-Hard-Link-Privilege-Escalation.html","https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46683/","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/152463/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Privilege-Escalation.html","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153009/Internet-Explorer-JavaScript-Privilege-Escalation.html","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153114/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html","http://packetstormsecurity.com/files/153215/Microsoft-Windows-AppX-Deployment-Service-Local-Privilege-Escalation.html"],"flow":[{"stage":"exploitation","techniques":["T1078"],"provenance":"ai"},{"stage":"primary","techniques":["T1068"],"provenance":"ai"}],"timeline":[{"date":"2019-04-05","kind":"exploit-public","label":"First 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exploited","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2019-1592","provenance":"source"}],"speed":{"daysToPublicExploit":null,"firstExploitFrom":"PoC-in-GitHub","daysToKev":1071},"priority":{"score":78.2,"factors":[{"name":"In a KEV catalog","points":35.0,"detail":"listed in CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV"},{"name":"Recent KEV listing","points":0.0,"detail":"added 1689 days ago"},{"name":"Known ransomware use","points":10.0,"detail":"CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV: Known"},{"name":"EPSS percentile","points":19.73,"detail":"percentile 0.9867"},{"name":"Named in threat reports","points":0.0,"detail":"0 reports"},{"name":"Public exploit code","points":5.0,"detail":"2 NVD references tagged Exploit; 5 Exploit-DB entries; 4 NVD exploit links; 3 PoC-in-GitHub repos; 1 Metasploit module"},{"name":"Mentioned in OTX pulses","points":3.0,"detail":"50 pulses"},{"name":"CVSS severity","points":5.46,"detail":"base score 7.8"},{"name":"End-of-life product","points":0.0,"detail":"supported or unknown"}]},"lineage":{"familyId":"fam-class-microsoft-windows-cwe-59"}}