CVE-2023-24858
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability in Microsoft PostScript and PCL6 Class Printer Drivers allows an attacker to read sensitive information from kernel memory. It affects systems using these printer drivers, potentially exposing credentials, encryption keys, or other protected data.
💻 Affected Systems
- Microsoft Windows
📦 What is this software?
Windows 10 by Microsoft
Windows 10 1607 by Microsoft
Windows 10 1809 by Microsoft
Windows 10 20h2 by Microsoft
Windows 10 21h2 by Microsoft
Windows 10 22h2 by Microsoft
Windows 11 21h2 by Microsoft
Windows 11 22h2 by Microsoft
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
An attacker could extract sensitive kernel memory contents including credentials, encryption keys, or other protected data, leading to privilege escalation or lateral movement.
Likely Case
Information disclosure of kernel memory contents that could aid in further attacks or expose system information.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper network segmentation and least privilege access controls in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access or network printing access. Exploitation involves sending specially crafted print jobs.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: March 2023 security updates
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-24858
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Apply March 2023 Windows security updates via Windows Update. 2. For enterprise: Deploy updates through WSUS, SCCM, or Intune. 3. Restart affected systems after patch installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable vulnerable printer drivers
windowsRemove or disable PostScript and PCL6 Class Printer Drivers if not required
Remove via Control Panel > Devices and Printers > Right-click printer > Remove device
Restrict printing access
allLimit network printing to authorized users only
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate print servers and restrict access
- Apply principle of least privilege to printing services and user accounts
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if PostScript or PCL6 Class Printer Drivers are installed and if March 2023 updates are not appliedCheck Version:
systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"Verify Fix Applied:
Verify March 2023 security updates are installed via Windows Update history or systeminfo command📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual print job activity, failed print jobs with error codes, security event logs showing driver loading
Network Indicators:
- Unusual network printing traffic patterns, SMB or RPC connections to print spooler
SIEM Query:
EventID=307 OR EventID=800 OR (EventID=4625 AND ProcessName="spoolsv.exe")