What products are affected by CVE-2023-36424?

CVE-2023-36424 affects Microsoft Windows. Refer to the vendor advisory and NVD record for affected versions.

Is there a public exploit for CVE-2023-36424?

Yes. Public exploit code or proof-of-concept has been identified for CVE-2023-36424. This lowers the barrier for exploitation and increases the urgency of patching. Organizations should prioritize remediation immediately.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2023-36424?

CVE-2023-36424 has an EPSS score of 9.8%, placing it in the 93th percentile. This means it has a 9.8% probability of being exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 93% of all known vulnerabilities. EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) is maintained by FIRST and uses real-world threat data to estimate exploitation likelihood.

Actively Exploited — CISA KEV

CVE-2023-36424: Microsoft Windows High-Severity Vulnerability

Severity: High | CVSS 3.1: 7.8 | Published: 2023-11-14 | KEV Added: 2026-04-13

What is CVE-2023-36424?

Windows Common Log File System Driver Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Technical Analysis

Weakness Classification

This vulnerability is classified as CWE-125 — Out-of-bounds Read. The software reads data past the end of a buffer, potentially leaking sensitive information from memory or causing a crash.

Attack Vector Breakdown

Attack Vector: Local
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: High
Integrity: High
Availability: High

Impact Analysis

Exploitation requires local access to the target system, such as a local user session or a malicious file opened by a user. The attack complexity is low, meaning exploitation does not depend on specialized conditions or race windows. Successful exploitation can result in full confidentiality breach (complete data disclosure), complete integrity compromise (data modification or code execution), total availability loss (denial of service). The software reads data past the end of a buffer, potentially leaking sensitive information from memory or causing a crash.

Exploitation Probability (EPSS): 9.8% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (93th percentile). While the base probability may appear low, inclusion in CISA KEV confirms real-world exploitation is already occurring.

Exploit Availability

Public exploit code or proof-of-concept is available for CVE-2023-36424. This significantly increases the risk of exploitation, as attackers can use or adapt existing exploit code rather than developing their own. A public exploit reference has been identified. Organizations should treat this as an urgent patching priority.

Is CVE-2023-36424 being exploited?

Yes. CVE-2023-36424 is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, restricted to CVEs with confirmed active exploitation in the wild. CISA added this vulnerability on 2026-04-13. Inclusion in KEV triggers the patching mandate under BOD 22-01 for U.S. federal civilian agencies, with a remediation deadline of 2026-04-27. Additionally, public exploit code is available, which lowers the barrier for attackers.

How to fix CVE-2023-36424

Apply the latest security update via Windows Update, WSUS, or Microsoft Update Catalog. For enterprise environments, use SCCM/Intune for managed deployment. If the patch cannot be applied immediately, check the MSRC advisory for workarounds such as registry-based mitigations or disabling affected features. Check the Microsoft Security Response Center page for the specific patch or update. CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog requires U.S. federal agencies to remediate this vulnerability by the due date shown below under Binding Operational Directive 22-01. Private organizations should treat KEV entries as priority-one patches because active exploitation has been confirmed in the wild.

Related Vulnerabilities

Other actively exploited vulnerabilities affecting Windows or sharing the same weakness (CWE-125):

CVE-2008-4250 (Critical 9.8) [same product] — The Server service in Microsoft Windows 2000 SP4, XP SP2 and SP3, Server 2003…
CVE-2026-32202 (Medium 4.3) [same product] — Protection mechanism failure in Windows Shell allows an unauthorized attacker…
CVE-2025-60710 (High 7.8) [same product] — Improper link resolution before file access ('link following') in Host Process…
CVE-2008-0015 (High 8.8) [same product] — Stack-based buffer overflow in the CComVariant::ReadFromStream function in the…
CVE-2026-21513 (High 8.8) [same product] — Protection mechanism failure in MSHTML Framework allows an unauthorized…

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2023-36424 critical?

CVE-2023-36424 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 — High severity. It should be treated as a priority patch, especially given the active exploitation confirmed by CISA. The availability of public exploit code further increases the urgency.

Is CVE-2023-36424 being actively exploited?

Yes — CISA added CVE-2023-36424 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2026-04-13. Inclusion in KEV means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation. Public exploit code has also been identified, making exploitation accessible to a broader range of threat actors.

How do I patch CVE-2023-36424?

Apply the security update from Microsoft for Windows. Federal agencies must remediate by 2026-04-27 under BOD 22-01. Refer to the Microsoft Security Response Center for the official patch.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2023-36424?

CVE-2023-36424 is classified under CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read). The software reads data past the end of a buffer, potentially leaking sensitive information from memory or causing a crash.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2023-36424?

CVE-2023-36424 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8, classifying it as High severity. The attack vector is Local, attack complexity is Low, and non-zero privileges are required.