CVE-2023-36594

Exploitation likely. EPSS gives it a 8.6% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days. Fixed versions are out.

CVSS 3.17.8High EPSS percentile95th8.6% chance in 30 days CISA KEVNot listedNo confirmed exploitation
No public exploit known Fix5 products8 fixed builds listed below

Published 2023-10-10Updated 2024-11-21Sources: CVE.org, NVD, BDU

NVD CVE.org

What to do

Find your product and version, then upgrade to the build on the right.

Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809Affected: ≥ 10.0.17763.0, < 10.0.17763.4974Upgrade to: 10.0.17763.4974Affected: ≥ 10.0.19043.0, < 10.0.19041.3570Upgrade to: 10.0.19041.3570Affected: ≥ 10.0.19045.0, < 10.0.19045.3570Upgrade to: 10.0.19045.3570Affected: ≥ 10.0.10240.0, < 10.0.10240.20232Upgrade to: 10.0.10240.20232 + 1 more branchStated by: CVE record
Microsoft Windows 11 version 21H2Affected: ≥ 10.0.0, < 10.0.22000.2538Upgrade to: 10.0.22000.2538Affected: ≥ 10.0.22621.0, < 10.0.22621.2428Upgrade to: 10.0.22621.2428Stated by: CVE record
Microsoft Windows Server 2019Affected: ≥ 10.0.17763.0, < 10.0.17763.4974Upgrade to: 10.0.17763.4974Stated by: CVE record
Microsoft Windows Server 2022Affected: ≥ 10.0.20348.0, < 10.0.20348.2031Upgrade to: 10.0.20348.2031Stated by: CVE record
Microsoft Windows Server 2016Affected: ≥ 10.0.14393.0, < 10.0.14393.6351Upgrade to: 10.0.14393.6351Stated by: CVE record

Versions as the sources state them. 4 more products have version data. Full version matrix after sign-in

Steps

Written by AI from the record

Check if any computers or servers in your business run Windows 10, Windows 11, or Windows Server 2008/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2/2016/2019/2022.
Run Windows Update (or have your IT provider push updates) to install the latest security update for your specific Windows version.
Confirm the installed build matches or exceeds the fixed version for your edition — for example, Windows 10 needs build 10.0.19045.3570 or higher, Windows 11 needs 10.0.22621.2428 or higher, Windows Server 2022 needs 10.0.20348.2031 or higher.
If you can't patch immediately, limit who has login access to the affected machines, since this flaw requires someone to already be logged in.

Vendor advisory Usually a quick update

Check it yourselfA free OpenVAS check exists for this CVE. Run it against your hosts.Is your organisation exposed?Request an assessment to establish which checks fit your systems.

What it is

From the CVE record

Windows Graphics Component Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

In plain language

Written by AI from the record

This is a flaw in a Windows graphics component that could let someone already logged into a computer gain full control of it; it hasn't been seen used in real attacks yet, but you should still get it patched.

Local elevation-of-privilege vulnerability (CWE-843, type confusion) in the Windows Graphics component allows a low-privileged authenticated user to escalate to higher privileges with no user interaction required.

If you're affected

Full system takeover by insider/malware
Privilege escalation after initial compromise
Data theft from affected machines
Foothold for ransomware deployment

What is it

Think of this like a faulty internal door lock inside an office building: someone who already has a badge to get into the building (an account on the computer) could use this flaw to unlock doors they shouldn't have access to, like the server room or the safe. They'd need to already be inside — this isn't something a random stranger on the internet could walk in and exploit directly.

Who is affected

This matters to you if you run any Windows 10 or Windows 11 computers, or Windows Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, 2012 R2, 2016, 2019, or 2022 in your business. It's a risk mainly if an attacker or malicious insider already has some form of login access to the machine, since this flaw is exploited locally rather than remotely over the internet.

How urgent is it

No one has reported this being used in real-world attacks yet, and there's no public exploit code available, so this is not an emergency. That said, interest in it is rising and it's rated as a serious privilege-escalation issue, so it should be scheduled for patching in your normal update cycle rather than ignored.

What to do — in detail

Inventory all Windows endpoints and servers (Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2008/2008 R2/2012/2012 R2/2016/2019/2022) and check installed build numbers via winver or Get-ComputerInfo.
Target the fixed builds per edition: Windows 10 → 10.0.19045.3570 / 10.0.17763.4974 / 10.0.14393.6351 / 10.0.10240.20232 depending on branch; Windows 11 → 10.0.22621.2428 or 10.0.22000.2538; Windows Server 2016 → 10.0.14393.6351; Windows Server 2019 → 10.0.17763.4974; Windows Server 2022 → 10.0.20348.2031; Windows Server 2008 → 6.0.6003.22317; Windows Server 2008 R2 → 6.1.7601.26769.
Deploy via standard Windows Update/WSUS/SCCM channels; no special upgrade path or breaking changes are documented for this update.
No CISA KEV listing exists, so there is no federal remediation deadline; prioritize based on internal patch SLAs for high-severity local EoP bugs.
If immediate patching isn't possible, tighten local account privileges and restrict interactive/RDP logon rights to reduce the pool of users who could trigger the local exploit.
Monitor Microsoft's advisory page and threat intel feeds for any shift from PoC-free status to active exploitation, given the rising EPSS trend and press attention.

Technical context

CVSS 7.8 (High) with vector AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H indicates local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, with high impact to confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Weakness is classified as CWE-843 (type confusion) in the Windows Graphics component. Not present in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploit code exists, placing exploit maturity at theoretical/PoC-absent. EPSS predicts a low-to-moderate likelihood of exploitation activity (rising trend), though this should not be treated as confirmed exploitation. Press attention is increasing, but this reflects visibility rather than active attacks.

This is a general assessment based on public vulnerability data. It does not account for your specific infrastructure — when in doubt, consult a security specialist.

Exploitation

Where each signal puts this CVE on the scale from published to confirmed exploited.

EPSS95th

CISA KEV

Not in the catalog. CISA has not confirmed exploitation.

Public exploits

No public exploit or proof of concept found in the sources we track.

EPSS

8.6% chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days, which ranks it in the 95th percentile of scored CVEs.

Exploit Prediction Scoring System, FIRST.org. A probability, not a confirmation.

Lifecycle

9 events over 1097 days, from the signal feeds we watch.

2026-10-11EPSS band changemoderate → lowepss band change
2026-06-25OpenVAS check added
2026-06-22EPSS band changelow → moderate
2024-11-21Patch availablerecord updated
2023-10-10Publishedweakness classified, att&ck mapped

Affected products

Microsoft Corpcommercial · USaka microsoft, microsoft corporation

And 45 more affected products. See all after sign-in

Technical detail

CVSS 3.1 vector

Open in the CVSS calculator

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Scored 7.8 by NVD.

How it is reached

Attack Vector LocalRequires local access to the vulnerable system (e.g. local login, malicious file)
Attack Complexity LowNo special conditions — the attack can be reliably reproduced
Privileges Required LowRequires basic user-level privileges
User Interaction NoneNo user interaction needed — fully automated exploitation

Scope

Scope UnchangedImpact is limited to the vulnerable component itself

Impact if exploited

Confidentiality HighTotal information disclosure — all data in the component is compromised
Integrity HighTotal loss of integrity — attacker can modify any data in the component
Availability HighTotal denial of service — the component is completely unavailable