Kernel privilege escalation via exposed AppLocker IOCTL
Published Feb 13, 2024 · Updated Aug 10, 2026
Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server allows local users to obtain kernel access. The appid.sys handler for IOCTL 0x22A018 accepts user-supplied kernel callback pointers and invokes one with partially controlled data. Local Service write access to the AppLocker device enables arbitrary kernel read and write operations, including security-control tampering.
Summary
What happened
Local privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server allows local users to obtain kernel access. The appid.sys handler for IOCTL 0x22A018 accepts user-supplied kernel callback pointers and invokes one with partially controlled data. Local Service write access to the AppLocker device enables arbitrary kernel read and write operations, including security-control tampering.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-21338
- Published
- Feb 13, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 10, 2026
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2019
- Classifications
- CWE-822, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 13, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 10, 2026Record 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=10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.5458
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
- WinDriver-EXP CVE-2024-21338 PoCproof of concept · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Reported exploitation
- CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities listingknown exploited catalog
- Lazarus FudModule zero-day exploitationthreat actor
Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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