CVE-2023-36033: Microsoft Windows Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Is it exploited?

Yes. CISA added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 14 Nov 2023, the same day the CVE record was published.

How likely is exploitation in the next 30 days?

10.9%

EPSS score, percentile 95.9 of all scored records

How severe?

7.8 High

CVSS v3.1 base score, given by the CNA

What should I do?

CISA deadline 5 Dec 2023. Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Advisories and patches (1)

Which versions are affected?

Affected

• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.5122
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.17763.5122
• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.5122
• from 10.0.17763.0 to before 10.0.17763.5122
• from 10.0.20348.0 to before 10.0.20348.2113
• from 10.0.0 to before 10.0.22000.2600

and 6 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: 5 December 2023.

Advisories and patches

• Windows DWM Core Library Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability (Vendor advisory)

Linked from CISA's catalog entry

• https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/en-US/vulnerability/CVE-2023-36033
• https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2023-36033

Affected products and versions

As listed 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 Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Core Library contains an unspecified vulnerability that allows for privilege escalation.

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

• CISA added CVE-2023-36033 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 14 Nov 2023.
• CISA's ransomware flag for this entry is "Unknown": no evidence of ransomware use in the catalog, which is not proof of none.
• The due date CISA sets for the required action is 5 Dec 2023.
• The CVE record was published on 14 Nov 2023, the same day it was added to KEV.
• The CVE record carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High), given by its CNA.
• FIRST's EPSS model puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 10.9% (percentile 95.9), 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

Windows DWM Core Library Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Windows DWM Core Library 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-822: Untrusted Pointer Dereference

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

Timeline

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