CVE-2024-38028
📋 TL;DR
CVE-2024-38028 is a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Performance Data Helper Library. Attackers can exploit this vulnerability by sending specially crafted data to trigger memory corruption, potentially allowing them to execute arbitrary code on affected systems. This affects Windows systems with the vulnerable library.
💻 Affected Systems
- Microsoft Windows
📦 What is this software?
Windows 10 1507 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
Full system compromise with attacker gaining SYSTEM-level privileges, enabling data theft, ransomware deployment, or persistent backdoor installation.
Likely Case
Privilege escalation leading to lateral movement within networks, credential harvesting, and installation of additional malware payloads.
If Mitigated
Limited impact due to network segmentation, application control policies, and proper patch management preventing successful exploitation.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires sending specially crafted data to trigger the vulnerability. No public proof-of-concept has been released as of current knowledge.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: July 2024 security updates
Vendor Advisory: https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38028
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Apply the July 2024 Windows security updates via Windows Update. 2. For enterprise environments, deploy updates through WSUS or Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager. 3. Restart systems after patch installation.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Performance Data Helper Service
windowsTemporarily disable the vulnerable service to prevent exploitation while awaiting patching.
sc stop "Performance Data Helper"
sc config "Performance Data Helper" start= disabled
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement network segmentation to isolate vulnerable systems from critical assets
- Apply application control policies to restrict execution of unauthorized binaries
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if July 2024 security updates are installed via Windows Update or systeminfo command.Check Version:
systeminfo | findstr /B /C:"OS Name" /C:"OS Version"Verify Fix Applied:
Verify KB5034441 (Windows 10) or KB5034440 (Windows 11/Server) is installed using wmic qfe list brief.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Unusual process creation from Performance Data Helper service
- Memory access violations in Application logs
Network Indicators:
- Unexpected network connections originating from systems with Performance Data Helper
SIEM Query:
EventID=4688 AND NewProcessName="*pdh.dll*" OR ParentProcessName="*Performance Data Helper*"