CVE-2023-21746: Windows NTLM Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability
CVE-2023-21746 is an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Windows NTLM, rated Important by Microsoft, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (High). An attacker can exploit it by an attacker with local access, with low privileges and without user interaction. Microsoft has not reported exploitation in the wild and rates exploitation as less likely. The EPSS model estimates a 2.50% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 85% of all scored vulnerabilities. Microsoft released the fix on 10 January 2023 in the January 2023 Patch Tuesday, delivered through 13 security updates (KB5022286, KB5022291, KB5022282, KB5022287 and more). It affects 36 products in 2 product families (Windows, ESU).
Key facts
- CVE ID
- CVE-2023-21746
- Severity
- High CVSS 7.8
- Microsoft severity
- Important
- Impact
- Elevation of Privilege
- Exploited in the wild
- No
- Publicly disclosed
- No
- Exploitation likelihood
- Less Likely
- EPSS
- 2.50% (percentile 85%)
- CISA KEV
- Not listed
- Released
- Last updated
- Patch Tuesday
- January 2023 Patch Tuesday
- Product families
- Windows, ESU
CVSS score and vector
Microsoft scores CVE-2023-21746 at 7.8 (temporal 6.8) using CVSS 3.1. Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack vector | Local |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | Low |
| User interaction | None |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality impact | High |
| Integrity impact | High |
| Availability impact | High |
| Exploit code maturity | Unproven |
| Remediation level | Official fix |
| Report confidence | Confirmed |
Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)
What privileges could be gained by an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability?
An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain SYSTEM privileges.
Affected products (36)
Windows
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems | KB5022286 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.3887 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems | KB5022286 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.3887 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5022286 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.3887 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 | KB5022286 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.3887 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) | KB5022286 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.3887 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2022 | KB5022291 | Security Update | 10.0.20348.1487 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation) | KB5022291 | Security Update | 10.0.20348.1487 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 20H2 for 32-bit Systems | KB5022282 | Security Update | 10.0.19042.2486 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 20H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5022282 | Security Update | 10.0.19042.2486 | Yes |
| Windows 11 version 21H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5022287 | Security Update | 10.0.22000.1455 | Yes |
| Windows 11 version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5022287 | Security Update | 10.0.22000.1455 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 21H2 for 32-bit Systems | ||||
| Windows 10 Version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems | ||||
| Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems | ||||
| Windows 11 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5022303 | Security Update | 10.0.22621.1105 | Yes |
| Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5022303 | Security Update | 10.0.22621.1105 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems | ||||
| Windows 10 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems | ||||
| Windows 10 Version 22H2 for 32-bit Systems | ||||
| Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems | KB5022297 | Security Update | 10.0.10240.19685 | Yes |
| Windows 10 for x64-based Systems | KB5022297 | Security Update | 10.0.10240.19685 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems | KB5022289 | Security Update | 10.0.14393.5648 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems | KB5022289 | Security Update | 10.0.14393.5648 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2016 | KB5022289 | Security Update | 10.0.14393.5648 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) | KB5022289 | Security Update | 10.0.14393.5648 | Yes |
| Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems | KB5022352 KB5022346 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.3.9600.20778 6.3.9600.20778 | Yes Yes |
| Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems | KB5022352 KB5022346 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.3.9600.20778 6.3.9600.20778 | Yes Yes |
| Windows RT 8.1 | KB5022346 | Security Only | 6.3.9600.20778 | Yes |
ESU
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1 | KB5022338 KB5022339 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.1.7601.26321 6.1.7601.26321 | Yes Yes |
| Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 | KB5022338 KB5022339 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.1.7601.26321 6.1.7601.26321 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 | KB5022338 KB5022339 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.1.7601.26321 6.1.7601.26321 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) | KB5022338 KB5022339 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.1.7601.26321 6.1.7601.26321 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 | KB5022348 KB5022343 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.2.9200.24075 6.2.9200.24075 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) | KB5022348 KB5022343 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.2.9200.24075 6.2.9200.24075 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | KB5022352 KB5022346 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.3.9600.20778 6.3.9600.20778 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) | KB5022352 KB5022346 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.3.9600.20778 6.3.9600.20778 | Yes Yes |
Security updates (13)
- KB5022286 (Security Update)
- KB5022291 (Security Update)
- KB5022282 (Security Update)
- KB5022287 (Security Update)
- KB5022303 (Security Update)
- KB5022297 (Security Update)
- KB5022289 (Security Update)
- KB5022338 (Monthly Rollup)
- KB5022339 (Security Only)
- KB5022352 (Monthly Rollup)
- KB5022346 (Security Only)
- KB5022348 (Monthly Rollup)
- KB5022343 (Security Only)
Exploitation and detection
VulnCheck KEV
- Date added
- Ransomware use
- Unknown
- Independent sources
- 2
Public exploits (3)
- TailoredSecOps/PEREDBOEMPATAT-BOF · added
- Muhammad-Ali007/LocalPotato_CVE-2023-21746 · added
- decoder-it/LocalPotato · added
Detection and weaponization
Weaponization maturity: Exploit.
Proof-of-concept repositories (2)
- Muhammad-Ali007/LocalPotato_CVE-2023-21746 · 3 stars
- TailoredSecOps/PEREDBOEMPATAT-BOF · 1 stars
NIST NVD data
- NVD status
- Modified
- NVD CVSS
- 7.8 (HIGH)
- Published to NVD
- NVD last modified
Affected configurations (CPE)
| Product | Vulnerable versions |
|---|---|
| windows 10 | all listed versions |
| windows 10 20h2 | all listed versions |
| windows 10 21h2 | all listed versions |
| windows 10 22h2 | all listed versions |
| windows 10 1607 | all listed versions |
| windows 10 1809 | all listed versions |
| windows 11 (arm64) | all listed versions |
| windows 11 (x64) | all listed versions |
| windows 11 21h2 (arm64) | all listed versions |
| windows 11 21h2 (x64) | all listed versions |
| windows 11 22h2 (arm64) | all listed versions |
| windows 11 22h2 (x64) | all listed versions |
| windows 7 | all listed versions |
| windows 8.1 | all listed versions |
| windows rt 8.1 | all listed versions |
| windows server 2008 r2 (x64) | all listed versions |
| windows server 2012 | all listed versions |
| windows server 2012 r2 | all listed versions |
| windows server 2016 | all listed versions |
| windows server 2019 | all listed versions |
| windows server 2022 | all listed versions |
References
Acknowledgments
- Andrea Pierini with Semperis and Antonio Cocomazzi with Sentinel One
Revision history
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Information published. |