CVE-2015-1701 — Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista SP2, and Server 2008 SP2 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, as exploited in the wild in April 2015, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

01What is this vulnerability?

Win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista SP2, and Server 2008 SP2 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, as exploited in the wild in April 2015, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

02Affected products

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

03Active exploitation status

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

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: 2015-04-21T10:00:00.000Z
• Last modified: 2025-10-21T23:56:02.628Z
• Added to CISA KEV: 2022-03-03
• BOD 22-01 due: 2022-03-24

09References

• twitter.com — http://twitter.com/symantec/statuses/590208710527549440
• www.exploit-db.com — https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/37049/
• www.securityfocus.com — http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/74245
• docs.microsoft.com — https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2015/ms15-05…
• www.exploit-db.com — https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/37367/
• www.fireeye.com — https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2015/04/probable_apt28_useo.html
• www.securitytracker.com — http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1032155
• seclists.org — http://seclists.org/fulldisclosure/2020/May/34