Patchfirst
CVE-2010-4398 KEVPublic exploit High · 7.8 EPSS 8.7%

Microsoft Windows Kernel Stack-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability

Microsoft · Windows

Summary

The flaw is a stack-based buffer overflow in the RtlQueryRegistryValues function within win32k.sys, a Windows kernel component, affecting Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP1 and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2 and R2, and Windows 7. A local user with low privileges who supplies a crafted REG_BINARY value for the SystemDefaultEUDCFont registry key can gain elevated privileges and bypass User Account Control, with no user interaction required.

Official description · NVD

Stack-based buffer overflow in the RtlQueryRegistryValues function in win32k.sys in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP1 and SP2, Windows Server 2008 Gold, SP2, and R2, and Windows 7 allows local users to gain privileges, and bypass the User Account Control (UAC) feature, via a crafted REG_BINARY value for a SystemDefaultEUDCFont registry key, aka "Driver Improper Interaction with Windows Kernel Vulnerability."

Breakdown
71.4 / 100
Exploited
Yes, in CISA KEV
Reports
1
Tactics
4/15

How an attack unfolds

Based on mappings. Select a step to see the evidence.
  1. How attackers get in

  2. What they do

First seen exploited 5 years after disclosure. Public exploit code (Exploit-DB) was available 12 days before disclosure.

  1. Public exploit codeExploit-DB12 days before
  2. Disclosedday 0
  3. First seen exploitedVulnCheck KEV evidence+5 yrs
  4. Added to CISA KEVEU database agrees+11 yrs

CISA KEV listing is when exploitation was confirmed, not necessarily the first attack.

techniques

3 , grouped by in kill-chain order, 3 cited passages 3

Initial AccessTA0001

Valid Accounts T1078 Medium also Persistence, Privilege Escalation, Stealth
AI mapping from the description · how it is exploited

local user already has valid account access

allows local users to gain privileges
From the official description (NVD) Original (opens in a new tab) ↗

Privilege EscalationTA0004

Exploitation for Privilege Escalation T1068 Medium
AI mapping from the description · primary impact

stack overflow yields local privilege escalation

allows local users to gain privileges
From the official description (NVD) Original (opens in a new tab) ↗
Abuse Elevation Control Mechanism T1548 Medium
AI mapping from the description · primary impact

UAC bypass abuses elevation control mechanism

bypass the User Account Control (UAC) feature
From the official description (NVD) Original (opens in a new tab) ↗
Lower-confidence links (1)

These come from early or generic mappings, text matching, or contradict this CVE’s details (for example a public-facing technique on a bug that needs a user to open a file). Shown for completeness.

  • Exploitation for Client ExecutionT1203 CTID attack_to_cve Phase 1 "Uncategorized" mapping (not staged by impact)

Detection

0 rules for this CVE · 111 general rules for its techniques

Rules for this CVE

0 that reference CVE-2010-4398 directly.

CVE-specific rules are not available in this build. Search SigmaHQ ↗

Sigma rules © SigmaHQ, Detection Rule License 1.1; linked, not reproduced.

What security researchers reported

Named in 1 threat report
1 reportblog-assets.f-secure.com

Reports are matched by finding the exact id CVE-2010-4398 in their text; nobody has reviewed the match. One passage is shown per report, at most 320 characters, linked to the original.

Also mentioned in 50 community threat pulses (AlienVault OTX)

Weaker evidence

Pulses are indicator collections that anyone can publish. A mention is not confirmation of exploitation.

References

14 links, grouped by NVD tag (13 duplicates merged)
↑ ↓ chooseEnter openEsc close