CVE-2019-1388: Microsoft Windows Certificate Dialog Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 7 Apr 2023, 1,242 days after the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

8.6%

EPSS score, percentile 95.1 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 28 Apr 2023. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1
• 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
• 8.1 for 32-bit systems
• 8.1 for x64-based systems
• RT 8.1
• 10 for 32-bit Systems

and 22 more in the table below

Versions by product

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

CISA due date for this action: 28 April 2023.

Advisories and patches

The CVE record links no vendor advisory, patch or mitigation.

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2019-1388
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-1388

Affected products and versions

As listed in the CVE record.

And 6 more version entries in the CVE record.

And 5 more version entries in the CVE record.

Source: CVE List V5 (CVE Program), cve_2026-10-28_0000Z, as of 28 Oct 2026. About the data.

About this vulnerability

Microsoft Windows Certificate Dialog contains a privilege escalation vulnerability, allowing attackers to run processes in an elevated context.

Summary: CISA's KEV catalog, as of 28 Oct 2026.

• CISA added CVE-2019-1388 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 7 Apr 2023.
• CISA marks it as known to be used in ransomware campaigns.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 28 Apr 2023.
• The CVE record was published on 12 Nov 2019, 1,242 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 8.6% (percentile 95.1), 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

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in the Windows Certificate Dialog when it does not properly enforce user privileges, aka 'Windows Certificate Dialog 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-269: Improper Privilege Management

CWE and CAPEC are maintained by MITRE; the entries are those named in the CVE record and the KEV entry.

Timeline

References

• portal.msrc.microsoft.com
• zerodayinitiative.com

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