CVE-2024-38217: Windows Mark of the Web Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability

Overview

Severity
Medium (CVSS 5.4)
CVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:L/E:F/RL:O/RC:C
Category
Security Feature Bypass
Exploit Status
Actively Exploited
Exploitation Likelihood
Detected
Publicly Disclosed
Yes
Patch Tuesday
2024-Sep
Released
2024-09-10
EPSS Score
12.12% (percentile: 93.8%)
CISA KEV
Listed — due 2024-10-01

FAQ

How could an attacker exploit the vulnerability? To exploit this vulnerability, an attacker could host a file on an attacker-controlled server, then convince a targeted user to download and open the file. This could allow the attacker to interfere with the Mark of the Web functionality. Please see Additional information about Mark of the Web for further clarification Windows 11, version 24H2 is not generally available yet. Why are there updates for this version of Windows listed in the Security Updates table? The new Copilot+ devices that are now publicly available come with Windows 11, version 24H2 installed. Customers with these devices need to know about any vulnerabilities that affect their machine and to install the updates if they are not receiving automatic updates. Note that the general availability date for Windows 11, version 24H2 is scheduled for later this year. According to the CVSS metric, successful exploitation of this vulnerability could lead to some loss of integrity (I:L) and some loss of availability (A:L). What does that mean for this vulnerability? An attacker can craft a malicious file that would evade Mark of the Web (MOTW) defenses, resulting in a limited loss of integrity and availability of security features such as SmartScreen Application Reputation security check and/or the legacy Windows Attachment Services security prompt.

Affected Products (37)

Windows

  • Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2019
  • Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows Server 2022
  • Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows 11 version 21H2 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows 11 version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems
  • 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
  • Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems
  • 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 11 Version 23H2 for ARM64-based Systems
  • Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2022, 23H2 Edition (Server Core installation)
  • Windows 11 Version 24H2 for ARM64-based Systems
  • Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems
  • Windows 10 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems
  • Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems
  • Windows Server 2016
  • Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)

ESU

  • Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2
  • Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2
  • Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
  • Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows Server 2012
  • Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)
  • Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)

Security Updates (16)

Acknowledgments

<a href="https://twitter.com/dez_">Joe Desimone</a> with Elastic Security

Revision History

  • 2024-09-10: Information published.