Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-38106 is a Windows kernel privilege escalation flaw. It does not appear to provide remote initial access by itself, but it can help an attacker who already has local low-privileged access gain much higher control. CISA KEV listing means exploitation has been observed and remediation should be prioritized.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation in the current patch cycle, with accelerated handling for high-value endpoints and servers. KEV status indicates real-world exploitation, while the local attack requirement keeps this below a remote-code-execution emergency unless paired with active intrusion evidence.
Technical view
Microsoft rates this Windows Kernel elevation-of-privilege issue as CVSS 7.0 high: local attack vector, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impact. Sources classify it under CWE-591 and list official remediation status as available.
Likely exposure
Likely exposure is Windows endpoints and servers running the affected versions listed by Microsoft: Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022, and Server Core variants. The flaw requires local low-privileged access, so risk rises on shared systems, compromised endpoints, and environments with weak endpoint controls.
Exploitation context
CISA lists CVE-2024-38106 in the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, supporting active exploitation. The provided sources do not describe the exploit technique, attacker campaigns, or public exploit tooling. Treat it as a post-compromise privilege escalation risk rather than a standalone internet-facing entry point.
Researcher notes
The source bundle confirms affected Windows versions, CVSS vector, CWE, Microsoft advisory, and CISA KEV status. It does not provide root-cause detail, exploit primitives, proof-of-concept status, or specific patch KBs, so validation should rely on Microsoft’s update metadata and local patch inventory.
Mitigation direction
- Apply Microsoft security updates for CVE-2024-38106 from the MSRC advisory.
- Prioritize systems with user workstations, shared access, or existing compromise indicators.
- Confirm unsupported or end-of-life Windows builds are upgraded or isolated.
- Monitor Microsoft and CISA guidance for updated mitigation details.
Validation and detection
- Inventory Windows assets against the affected versions in Microsoft’s advisory.
- Verify the relevant Microsoft update is installed on each affected host.
- Review vulnerability scanner results for CVE-2024-38106 after patching.
- Check EDR and system logs for suspicious local privilege escalation activity.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-591: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupPrivilege behavior lookup
The CVE wording references privilege impact, so privilege escalation and authorization behavior review may help. This is a Glexia inferred lookup path, not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, or CVE Program mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2024-38106 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C15.9Primary CVE scoreVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:F/RL:O/RC:C
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- Windows Kernel Elevation of Privilege VulnerabilityCVE reference · vendor-advisory
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-38106CVE reference · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Sensitive Data Storage in Improperly Locked Memory
Sensitive Data Storage in Improperly Locked Memory represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.