Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2018-8639: Microsoft Windows Win32k Improper Resource Shutdown or Release Vulnerability

CVE-2018-8639 · Severity: critical · CVSS 7.8 · Exploited in the wild · Published 2025-03-03

Technologies: Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2, Microsoft Windows Server 2012, Microsoft Windows 8.1, Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows Server 2019, Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Microsoft Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2, Microsoft Windows Rt 8.1. Vendors: Microsoft.

Executive brief

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the Windows Win32k component due to improper handling of objects in memory. A local authenticated attacker could exploit this to run arbitrary code in kernel mode and gain elevated system privileges.

Affected products

  • Microsoft Windows 7 Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2
  • Microsoft Windows RT 8.1
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2019
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012
  • Microsoft Windows 8.1
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2016
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2
  • Microsoft Windows 10

Timeline

  • 2018-12-11: disclosed: Initial publication by Microsoft/NVD
  • 2025-03-03: kev added: Added to CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog
  • 2025-03-03: exploited: Confirmed as exploited in the wild per CISA KEV entry

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