CVE-2023-28293
📋 TL;DR
This Windows kernel vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges from a lower-privileged account to SYSTEM-level access. It affects Windows 10, 11, and Server versions. Attackers need initial access to the system to exploit this vulnerability.
💻 Affected Systems
- Windows 10
- Windows 11
- Windows Server 2016
- Windows Server 2019
- Windows Server 2022
📦 What is this software?
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
Complete system compromise with SYSTEM privileges, enabling installation of persistent malware, credential theft, lateral movement, and disabling of security controls.
Likely Case
Local privilege escalation allowing attackers to bypass security restrictions, install additional malware, or access sensitive data on the compromised system.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if proper endpoint protection, least privilege principles, and network segmentation are implemented, though the vulnerability still provides elevated access.
🎯 Exploit Status
Proof-of-concept code is publicly available. Exploitation requires local access but is relatively straightforward once initial access is obtained.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: April 2023 security updates (KB5025221 for Windows 10, KB5025239 for Windows 11, etc.)
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-28293
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Apply April 2023 Windows security updates via Windows Update. 2. For enterprise environments, deploy through WSUS or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. 3. Restart systems after patch installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict local user privileges
windowsImplement least privilege principles to limit what local users can do, reducing impact of privilege escalation
Enable Windows Defender Exploit Guard
windowsConfigure exploit protection to mitigate kernel exploitation attempts
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict network segmentation to limit lateral movement from compromised systems
- Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions with kernel behavior monitoring
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if April 2023 security updates are installed via: wmic qfe list | findstr KB5025221 (or relevant KB for your version)Check Version:
winver (GUI) or systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"Verify Fix Applied:
Verify April 2023 security updates are installed and system has been restarted since installation📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Windows Security Event ID 4688 (process creation) showing unusual parent-child process relationships
- Unexpected SYSTEM-level process execution from user contexts
- Kernel driver loading events
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections from systems after local privilege escalation
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND (NewProcessName="*\cmd.exe" OR NewProcessName="*\powershell.exe") AND ParentProcessName="*\explorer.exe" | where TokenElevationType=2