CVE-2024-38217: Windows Mark of the Web Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability
CVE-2024-38217 is a security feature bypass vulnerability in Windows Mark of the Web, rated Important by Microsoft, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.4 (Medium). An attacker can exploit it remotely over the network, without any privileges and only if a user takes an action. Microsoft reports that it has been exploited in the wild. It was publicly disclosed before the fix was released. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 10 September 2024, with a remediation deadline of 1 October 2024 for US federal agencies. The EPSS model estimates a 10.03% probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, higher than 96% of all scored vulnerabilities. Microsoft released the fix on 9 September 2024 in the September 2024 Patch Tuesday, delivered through 16 security updates (KB5043050, KB5042881, KB5042880, KB5043067 and more). It affects 37 products in 2 product families (Windows, ESU).
Key facts
- CVE ID
- CVE-2024-38217
- Severity
- Medium CVSS 5.4
- Microsoft severity
- Important
- Impact
- Security Feature Bypass
- Exploited in the wild
- Yes
- Publicly disclosed
- Yes
- Exploitation likelihood
- Detected
- Weakness
- CWE-693
- EPSS
- 10.03% (percentile 96%)
- CISA KEV
- Listed , due
- Released
- Last updated
- Patch Tuesday
- September 2024 Patch Tuesday
- Product families
- Windows, ESU
CVSS score and vector
Microsoft scores CVE-2024-38217 at 5.4 (temporal 5) using CVSS 3.1. 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
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack vector | Network |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | None |
| User interaction | Required |
| Scope | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality impact | None |
| Integrity impact | Low |
| Availability impact | Low |
| Exploit code maturity | Functional |
| Remediation level | Official fix |
| Report confidence | Confirmed |
Frequently asked questions (Microsoft)
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
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems | KB5043050 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.6293 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems | KB5043050 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.6293 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 | KB5043050 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.6293 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation) | KB5043050 | Security Update | 10.0.17763.6293 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2022 | KB5042881 KB5042880 | Security Update SecurityHotpatchUpdate | 10.0.20348.2700 10.0.20348.2695 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2022 (Server Core installation) | KB5042881 KB5042880 | Security Update SecurityHotpatchUpdate | 10.0.20348.2700 10.0.20348.2695 | Yes Yes |
| Windows 11 version 21H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5043067 | Security Update | 10.0.22000.3197 | Yes |
| Windows 11 version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5043067 | Security Update | 10.0.22000.3197 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 21H2 for 32-bit Systems | KB5043064 | Security Update | 10.0.19044.4894 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 21H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5043064 | Security Update | 10.0.19044.4894 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5043064 | Security Update | 10.0.19044.4894 | Yes |
| Windows 11 Version 22H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5043076 | Security Update | 10.0.22621.4169 | Yes |
| Windows 11 Version 22H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5043076 | Security Update | 10.0.22621.4169 | 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 11 Version 23H2 for ARM64-based Systems | ||||
| Windows 11 Version 23H2 for x64-based Systems | ||||
| Windows Server 2022, 23H2 Edition (Server Core installation) | KB5043055 | Security Update | 10.0.25398.1128 | Yes |
| Windows 11 Version 24H2 for ARM64-based Systems | KB5043080 | Security Update | 10.0.26100.1742 | Yes |
| Windows 11 Version 24H2 for x64-based Systems | KB5043080 | Security Update | 10.0.26100.1742 | Yes |
| Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems | KB5043083 | Security Update | 10.0.10240.20766 | Yes |
| Windows 10 for x64-based Systems | KB5043083 | Security Update | 10.0.10240.20766 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems | KB5043051 | Security Update | 10.0.14393.7336 | Yes |
| Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems | KB5043051 | Security Update | 10.0.14393.7336 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2016 | KB5043051 | Security Update | 10.0.14393.7336 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation) | KB5043051 | Security Update | 10.0.14393.7336 | Yes |
ESU
| Product | Security update | Type | Fixed build | Restart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 | KB5043135 KB5043087 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.0.6003.22870 6.0.6003.22870 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) | KB5043135 KB5043087 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.0.6003.22870 6.0.6003.22870 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 | KB5043135 KB5043087 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.0.6003.22870 6.0.6003.22870 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Server Core installation) | KB5043135 KB5043087 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.0.6003.22870 6.0.6003.22870 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 | KB5043129 KB5043092 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.1.7601.27320 6.1.7601.27320 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Server Core installation) | KB5043129 KB5043092 | Monthly Rollup Security Only | 6.1.7601.27320 6.1.7601.27320 | Yes Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 | KB5043125 | Monthly Rollup | 6.2.9200.25073 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation) | KB5043125 | Monthly Rollup | 6.2.9200.25073 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | KB5043138 | Monthly Rollup | 6.3.9600.22175 | Yes |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation) | KB5043138 | Monthly Rollup | 6.3.9600.22175 | Yes |
Security updates (16)
- KB5043050 (Security Update)
- KB5042881 (Security Update)
- KB5042880 (SecurityHotpatchUpdate)
- KB5043067 (Security Update)
- KB5043064 (Security Update)
- KB5043076 (Security Update)
- KB5043055 (Security Update)
- KB5043080 (Security Update)
- KB5043083 (Security Update)
- KB5043051 (Security Update)
- KB5043135 (Monthly Rollup)
- KB5043087 (Security Only)
- KB5043129 (Monthly Rollup)
- KB5043092 (Security Only)
- KB5043125 (Monthly Rollup)
- KB5043138 (Monthly Rollup)
Exploitation and detection
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
- Date added
- Federal due date
- Ransomware use
- Unknown
- Required action
- Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
VulnCheck KEV
- Date added
- Ransomware use
- Unknown
- Independent sources
- 3
NIST NVD data
- NVD status
- Analyzed
- NVD CVSS
- 5.4 (MEDIUM)
- NVD weakness
- CWE-693
- Published to NVD
- NVD last modified
Affected configurations (CPE)
| Product | Vulnerable versions |
|---|---|
| windows 10 1507 (x64) | before 10.0.10240.20766 |
| windows 10 1507 (x86) | before 10.0.10240.20766 |
| windows 10 1607 (x64) | before 10.0.14393.7336 |
| windows 10 1607 (x86) | before 10.0.14393.7336 |
| windows 10 1809 (x64) | before 10.0.17763.6293 |
| windows 10 1809 (x86) | before 10.0.17763.6293 |
| windows 10 21h2 | before 10.0.19044.4894 |
| windows 10 22h2 | before 10.0.19045.4894 |
| windows 11 21h2 | before 10.0.22000.3197 |
| windows 11 22h2 | before 10.0.22621.4169 |
| windows 11 23h2 | before 10.0.22631.4169 |
| windows 11 24h2 (arm64) | before 10.0.26100.1742 |
| windows 11 24h2 (x64) | before 10.0.26100.1742 |
| windows server 2008 | 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 | before 10.0.14393.7336 |
| windows server 2019 | before 10.0.17763.6293 |
| windows server 2022 | before 10.0.20348.2700 |
| windows server 2022 23h2 | before 10.0.25398.1128 |
References
- https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38217 (Patch, Vendor Advisory)
- https://www.elastic.co/security-labs/dismantling-smart-app-control (Exploit, Third Party Advisory)
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-38217 (US Government Resource)
Acknowledgments
- Joe Desimone with Elastic Security
Revision history
| Version | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | Information published. |