CVE-2015-1701: Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
- Is it exploited?
Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 3 Mar 2022, 2,508 days after the CVE record was published.
- How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?
- 55.9%
EPSS score, percentile 99 of all scored records
- How severe?
- 7.8 High
CVSS v3.1 base score, from CISA's enrichment of the record
- What should I do?
CISA deadline 24 Mar 2022. Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- Which versions are affected?
Not stated. The CVE record gives vendor and product as “n/a” and the version as “unspecified”.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
What to do
Required action, set by CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
CISA due date for this action: 24 March 2022.
Advisories and patches
Linked from CISA's catalog entry
Affected products and versions
The CVE record does not name affected products or versions: vendor and product are “n/a” and the version is “unspecified”.
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
About this vulnerability
An unspecified vulnerability exists in the Win32k.sys kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Server that allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.
Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA added CVE-2015-1701 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 3 Mar 2022.
- CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
- The due date CISA sets for the required action is 24 Mar 2022.
- The CVE record was published on 21 Apr 2015, 2,508 days before it was added to KEV.
- The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High), taken from CISA's enrichment of the record.
- FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 55.9% (percentile 99), as of 28 Oct 2026.
- CISA's SSVC assessment in the CVE record: exploitation active, automatable no, technical impact total.
Source: CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, 2026.10.28, as of 28 Oct 2026; CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026; FIRST Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS), v2026.06.15, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Description
Win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista SP2, and Server 2008 SP2 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, as exploited in the wild in April 2015, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."
Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.
Weakness
CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2015 | CVE record published |
| 3 Mar 2022 | Added to CISA KEV |
| 24 Mar 2022 | CISA due date for the required action |
| 14 Aug 2026 | CVE record last updated |
References
- 37049
- 37367
- 74245
- 1032155
- twitter.com
- fireeye.com
- 20200514 KL-001-2020-002 : Cellebrite Restricted Desktop Escape and Escalation of User Privilege
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