CVE-2023-36033

Overview

CVE-2023-36033 is a zero-day elevation of privilege vulnerability in the Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library. It was actively exploited in the wild and patched by Microsoft in 2023.

This vulnerability is part of a series of DWM elevation of privilege bugs that have been increasingly targeted by threat actors.

Technical Details

• Vulnerability Type: Elevation of Privilege (EoP)
• Affected Component: DWM Core Library
• Attack Vector: Local
• Impact: Allows a standard user to escalate privileges to SYSTEM
• Exploitation: Used in targeted attacks, often as part of multi-stage exploit chains
• Patch Date: 2023 (Patch Tuesday)

Exploitation

CVE-2023-36033 was exploited in the wild, following a trend of DWM zero-days being used for privilege escalation. It was one of the notable DWM vulnerabilities exploited before being patched.

Attackers used this vulnerability to gain SYSTEM-level access on compromised systems, often after initial access via phishing or other malware.

Affected Systems

• Windows 10
• Windows 11
• Windows Server (multiple versions)

Patch Information

Microsoft released security updates for this vulnerability as part of a 2023 Patch Tuesday. Users and administrators are strongly advised to apply the update immediately to prevent exploitation.

For systems that cannot be patched, Microsoft recommends monitoring for suspicious activity and restricting user privileges where possible.

Mitigation

• Apply the latest security updates from Microsoft.
• Monitor for unusual privilege escalation attempts.
• Restrict user privileges to limit the impact of potential exploits.
• Use modern endpoint protection solutions to detect and block exploit attempts.

References