SYSTEM privilege escalation via undisclosed Win32k flaw
Published Oct 13, 2021 · Updated Oct 21, 2025
Elevation of privilege in Microsoft Windows Win32k allows local users with low privileges to gain SYSTEM access via a crafted application. Microsoft has not published the flawed Win32k operation or how the application triggers it. Successful exploitation requires local code execution and grants full control of the affected host.
Summary
What happened
Elevation of privilege in Microsoft Windows Win32k allows local users with low privileges to gain SYSTEM access via a crafted application. Microsoft has not published the flawed Win32k operation or how the application triggers it. Successful exploitation requires local code execution and grants full control of the affected host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-41357
- Published
- Oct 13, 2021
- Updated
- Oct 21, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows 10 Version 21H1
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 13, 2021CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 21, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=10.0.0 <10.0.19043.1288
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog listingknown exploited catalog
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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