Privilege escalation via update component downgrade
Published Aug 8, 2024 · Updated Jul 10, 2025
Improper access control in Microsoft Windows Update allows local users to revive patched flaws through a privileged system restore. During restore, the update stack accepts downgrade content and replaces protected OS components with older versions without enforcing their security version. Basic user access is required, and an administrator or delegated backup operator must initiate the restore; the result can bypass VBS or re-enable prior vulnerabilities.
Summary
What happened
Improper access control in Microsoft Windows Update allows local users to revive patched flaws through a privileged system restore. During restore, the update stack accepts downgrade content and replaces protected OS components with older versions without enforcing their security version. Basic user access is required, and an administrator or delegated backup operator must initiate the restore; the result can bypass VBS or re-enable prior vulnerabilities.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-38202
- Published
- Aug 8, 2024
- Updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Vendor
- Microsoft
- Product
- Windows Server 2019
- Classifications
- CWE-284, T1562.001
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 8, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 10, 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=10.0.17763.0 <10.0.17763.6414
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
- WindowsDowndatefunctional · demonstrated
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
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