CVE-2018-8639

HIGH KEV RANSOMWARE

Windows - Elevation of Privilege via Win32k Memory Handling

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Exploitation Summary

CVE-2018-8639 is actively exploited and listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, added March 3, 2025, with confirmed use in ransomware campaigns. EIP tracks 4 public exploits from researchers including ze0r, timwhitez, Ascotbe.

AI-analyzed exploit summary This is a working exploit for CVE-2018-8639, a Windows privilege escalation vulnerability. It leverages memory corruption in the win32k.sys driver to achieve arbitrary read/write in kernel memory, ultimately swapping the current process token with the SYSTEM token.

Description

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8641.

Exploits (4)

nomisec WORKING POC 127 stars
by ze0r · local
https://github.com/ze0r/CVE-2018-8639-exp

This is a working exploit for CVE-2018-8639, a Windows privilege escalation vulnerability. It leverages memory corruption in the win32k.sys driver to achieve arbitrary read/write in kernel memory, ultimately swapping the current process token with the SYSTEM token.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2
Auth required
Prerequisites: Local access to the target system · Ability to execute code on the target system
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
nomisec WORKING POC 6 stars
by timwhitez · poc
https://github.com/timwhitez/CVE-2018-8639-EXP

This repository contains an executable exploit for CVE-2018-8639, a Windows privilege escalation vulnerability. The README provides usage instructions and disclaimers about the potential misuse of the exploit.

Classification
Working Poc 80%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016
Auth required
Prerequisites: Local access to the target system · Valid user credentials
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 16, 2026 Full analysis →
patchapalooza WRITEUP
by Ascotbe · local
https://github.com/Ascotbe/Kernelhub

This repository contains documentation and configuration scripts for a collection of Windows kernel exploits, including CVE-2003-0352, CVE-2006-3439, CVE-2008-1084, and others. It includes README files in both Chinese and English, as well as a Python script for generating documentation.

Classification
Writeup 90%
Attack Type
Other
Complexity
Moderate
Reliability
Theoretical
Target: Windows Kernel
No auth needed
Prerequisites: access to the target system · specific Windows versions affected by the listed CVEs
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 23, 2026 Full analysis →
patchapalooza WORKING POC
by cbwang505 · poc
https://gitee.com/cbwang505/CVE-2018-8639-EXP

This repository contains a functional exploit for CVE-2018-8639, a local privilege escalation vulnerability in Windows 7 SP1 64-bit due to a double-free in the window class handling mechanism. The exploit leverages the ReferenceClass function's improper handling of the lpszMenuName field during tagCLS structure cloning.

Classification
Working Poc 95%
Attack Type
Lpe
Complexity
Complex
Reliability
Reliable
Target: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit
Auth required
Prerequisites: Windows 7 SP1 64-bit system · Visual Studio 2013 for compilation
devstral-2 · analyzed Feb 23, 2026 Full analysis →

References (3)

Core 3
Core References
Broken Link, Third Party Advisory, VDB Entry vdb-entry x_refsource_bid
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/106093

Scores

CVSS v3 7.8
EPSS 0.3319
EPSS Percentile 97.0%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation active
Automatable no
Technical Impact total

Details

CISA KEV 2025-03-03
VulnCheck KEV 2022-01-26
ENISA EUVD EUVD-2018-20250
Ransomware Use Confirmed
CWE
CWE-404
Status published
Products (15)
microsoft/windows_10_1507
microsoft/windows_10_1607
microsoft/windows_10_1703
microsoft/windows_10_1709
microsoft/windows_10_1803
microsoft/windows_10_1809
microsoft/windows_7
microsoft/windows_8.1
microsoft/windows_rt_8.1
microsoft/windows_server_2008
... and 5 more
Published Dec 12, 2018
KEV Added Mar 03, 2025
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026