CVE-2024-26180
📋 TL;DR
This vulnerability allows attackers to bypass Secure Boot protections on affected systems, potentially enabling them to load and execute unauthorized code during the boot process. It affects systems with Secure Boot enabled, primarily Windows devices. Attackers could gain persistence or compromise system integrity before the operating system loads.
💻 Affected Systems
- Windows Secure Boot
📦 What is this software?
Windows 10 1507 by Microsoft
Windows 10 1507 by Microsoft
Windows 10 1607 by Microsoft
Windows 10 1607 by Microsoft
Windows 10 1809 by Microsoft
Windows 10 21h2 by Microsoft
Windows 10 22h2 by Microsoft
Windows 11 21h2 by Microsoft
Windows 11 22h2 by Microsoft
Windows 11 23h2 by Microsoft
⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Complete system compromise with persistent malware that survives OS reinstallation, enabling data theft, ransomware deployment, or system control.
Likely Case
Attackers bypass Secure Boot to install bootkits or rootkits that evade detection and maintain persistence on compromised systems.
If Mitigated
Limited impact with proper patch management and Secure Boot enforcement; attackers may still bypass but with reduced effectiveness.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires physical access or administrative privileges to modify boot components; no public exploits known.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: March 2024 security updates (KB5035853 for Windows 10, KB5035855 for Windows 11, etc.)
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2024-26180
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Apply March 2024 Windows security updates via Windows Update. 2. For managed environments, deploy updates through WSUS or Microsoft Endpoint Manager. 3. Restart systems to complete installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Enable Secure Boot with trusted keys only
windowsEnsure Secure Boot is enabled and only Microsoft-signed bootloaders are allowed.
Restrict physical access
allLimit physical access to systems to prevent boot manipulation.
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable boot from external media in BIOS/UEFI settings
- Implement device control policies to prevent unauthorized boot modifications
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if Secure Boot is enabled and system has not applied March 2024 updates: Run 'msinfo32' and verify Secure Boot State is 'On' and OS build is pre-March 2024.Check Version:
wmic os get version,buildnumber,captionVerify Fix Applied:
Verify Windows is updated to March 2024 security updates: Run 'winver' and check build number matches patched versions.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- UEFI/Secure Boot policy changes in Windows Event Logs (Event ID 12, 13 in System log)
- Unexpected bootloader modifications
Network Indicators:
- Unusual outbound connections during boot phase (rare)
SIEM Query:
EventID=12 OR EventID=13 | where EventData contains "SecureBoot"