CVE-2013-3660 — Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

The EPATHOBJ::pprFlattenRec function in win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012 does not properly initialize a poin

01What is this vulnerability?

The EPATHOBJ::pprFlattenRec function in win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012 does not properly initialize a pointer for the next object in a certain list, which allows local users to obtain write access to the PATHRECORD chain, and…

02Affected products

Vendor	Product	Versions
n	a / n/a	n/a

03Active exploitation status

Yes — actively exploited. Added to the CISA KEV catalog on 2022-03-28. Ransomware use: Unknown.

04Recommended remediation

• Patch to a fixed version listed in the vendor advisory (see references below).
• Mitigate with WAF rules, network egress filters, or feature flags where the patch is not yet available.
• Hunt historical logs for exploitation indicators — see Detection signatures below.

05Technical details

For the full vendor write-up, exploit chains, and reference implementations, see the references list in section 09.

06Detection signatures

Open the Sigma generator with a pre-filled prompt for this CVE to draft a starting detection in your stack of choice:

Open in Sigma generator →

07Related CVEs

No directly-cited follow-up CVEs in the KB record for this advisory. The references list in section 09 carries the vendor cross-references.

08Timeline

• Published: 2013-05-24T20:00:00.000Z
• Last modified: 2025-10-22T00:05:42.100Z
• Added to CISA KEV: 2022-03-28
• BOD 22-01 due: 2022-04-18

09References

• archives.neohapsis.com — http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/fulldisclosure/2013-05/0094.html
• www.exploit-db.com — http://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/25611/
• archives.neohapsis.com — http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/fulldisclosure/2013-05/0090.html
• secunia.com — http://secunia.com/advisories/53435
• www.osvdb.org — http://www.osvdb.org/93539
• twitter.com — http://twitter.com/taviso/statuses/309157606247768064
• www.computerworld.com — http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9239477
• www.theverge.com — http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/23/4358400/google-engineer-bashes-microsoft-discl…
• oval.cisecurity.org — https://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3…
• www.reddit.com — http://www.reddit.com/r/netsec/comments/1eqh66/0day_windows_kernel_epathobj_vuln…
• archives.neohapsis.com — http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/fulldisclosure/2013-06/0006.html
• www.us-cert.gov — http://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA13-190A
• docs.microsoft.com — https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2013/ms13-05…
• twitter.com — http://twitter.com/taviso/statuses/335557286657400832