{"id":"CVE-2015-2546","published":"2015-09-09T00:59:53Z","modified":"2026-08-14T05:16:52Z","title":"Microsoft Win32k Memory Corruption Vulnerability","vendor":"Microsoft","product":"Win32k","tier":"core","eol":null,"description":{"text":"The kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT Gold and 8.1, and Windows 10 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka \"Win32k Memory Corruption Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability,\" a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-2511, CVE-2015-2517, and CVE-2015-2518.","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"summary":{"text":"A memory corruption flaw in the Win32k kernel-mode driver of Microsoft Windows (affecting Vista SP2 through Windows 10 and several Server and RT releases) lets a local user gain elevated privileges. An attacker needs local access to the system, and the exploit requires a crafted application to be run, which typically means the user has to launch it.","provenance":"ai","model":"claude-haiku-5-5","generatedAt":"2026-10-23T07:00:46Z"},"cvss":{"score":8.2,"severity":"HIGH","version":"3.1","vector":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H","provenance":"source","from":"NVD"},"epss":{"score":0.10107,"percentile":0.95624,"date":"2026-10-28","provenance":"source"},"kev":{"dateAdded":"2022-03-15","dueDate":"2022-04-05","ransomware":true,"requiredAction":"Apply updates per vendor instructions.","notes":"https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-2546","provenance":"source"},"vulncheckKev":{"dateAdded":"2015-09-08","exploitedFirstSeen":"2015-09-08","ransomware":true,"evidence":[{"url":"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1lkNJ0uQwbeC1ZTRrxdtuPLCIl7mlUreoKfSIgajnSyY/edit","date":"2015-09-08"},{"url":"https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2015/12/the_eps_awakens.html","date":"2015-12-16"},{"url":"http://download.microsoft.com/download/2/2/5/225BFE3E-E1DE-4F5B-A77B-71200928D209/Platinum%20feature%20article%20-%20Targeted%20attacks%20in%20South%20and%20Southeast%20Asia%20April%202016.pdf","date":"2016-04-01"},{"url":"https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3465481.3465758","date":"2021-08-17"},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/feeds/known_exploited_vulnerabilities.json","date":"2022-03-15"},{"url":"https://www.tenable.com/blog/contileaks-chats-reveal-over-30-vulnerabilities-used-by-conti-ransomware-affiliates","date":"2022-03-24"},{"url":"https://cybersecurityworks.com/howdymanage/uploads/file/RansomwareUpdate%20Report%202022%20Q1.pdf","date":"2022-04-12"},{"url":"https://www.securin.io/articles/all-about-conti-ransomware/","date":"2022-06-29"},{"url":"https://go.recordedfuture.com/hubfs/reports/cta-2024-0208.pdf","date":"2024-02-08"}],"evidenceTotal":9,"provenance":"source"},"exploited":true,"otx":{"pulseCount":50,"pulses":[{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 29, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae20c1db17e7057ae7d9ad1","created":"2026-10-28"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 28, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ae0ba7e0e2a97ff7b218819","created":"2026-10-27"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 27, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adf68b85c3e852f3c111d18","created":"2026-10-26"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 24, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6adb740e397c3ad4799aa4cd","created":"2026-10-23"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 23, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ada236fcfba2dfa730ea482","created":"2026-10-22"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 22, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad8d33a077cbb5cab524d80","created":"2026-10-21"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 21, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad78130c4d1ac2be83a8b6d","created":"2026-10-20"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 20, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad62f63c24a405a3423cc13","created":"2026-10-19"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 19, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad4dda174e5797d0bd238b7","created":"2026-10-18"},{"name":"Actively_Exploited_Kev | Oct 18, 2026","url":"https://otx.alienvault.com/pulse/6ad38c22e1848f8189d1c121","created":"2026-10-17"}],"provenance":"machine"},"cwes":[{"id":"CWE-119","name":"Improper Restriction of Operations within the Bounds of a Memory Buffer"}],"references":[{"url":"http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/76608","tags":["Broken Link","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1033485","tags":["Broken Link","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2015/ms15-097","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/76608","tags":["Broken Link","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1033485","tags":["Broken Link","Third Party Advisory","VDB Entry"]},{"url":"https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2015/ms15-097","tags":["Patch","Vendor Advisory"]},{"url":"https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2015-2546","tags":["US Government Resource"]}],"techniques":[{"id":"T1608","name":"Stage Capabilities","tactics":["resource-development"],"provenance":"source","basis":"ctid-cve","bases":["ctid-cve"],"basisDetail":"CTID attack_to_cve (Phase 1)","mappingType":"uncategorized","evidence":[],"confidence":"low","confidenceNote":"CTID attack_to_cve Phase 1 \"Uncategorized\" mapping (not staged by impact)"},{"id":"T1204.002","name":"Malicious File","tactics":["execution"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: User runs crafted application triggering the flaw","mappingType":"exploitation_technique","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application","start":203,"end":266}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"},{"id":"T1068","name":"Exploitation for Privilege Escalation","tactics":["privilege-escalation"],"provenance":"ai","basis":"ai-mapping","bases":["ai-mapping"],"basisDetail":"claude-haiku-5-5: Local privilege escalation to kernel level","mappingType":"primary_impact","evidence":[{"from":"description","quote":"allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application","start":203,"end":266}],"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","confidence":"medium","confidenceNote":"AI-mapped from the description (quote-validated, not expert-reviewed)"}],"reports":[{"id":"SRC-a27ca573b9cba018268a","title":"Platinum feature article   Targeted attacks in South and Southeast Asia April 2016","publisher":"download.microsoft.com","url":"https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/2/5/225BFE3E-E1DE-4F5B-A77B-71200928D209/Platinum%20feature%20article%20-%20Targeted%20attacks%20in%20South%20and%20Southeast%20Asia%20April%202016.pdf","date":null,"mentions":[{"quote":"vulnerability in the\r\nMicrosoft Office PostScript interpreter (designated CVE-2015-2545) that enabled it to execute the\r\nattacker’s code and drop an attacker-generated malicious DLL onto the computer.5 The DLL exploited\r\nanother previously unknown vulnerability (designated CVE-2015-2546) in the Windows kernel,","start":14250,"end":14561},{"quote":"Even if CVE-2015-2546 affected","start":40271,"end":40301}]}],"affected":[],"advisories":[],"euvd":{"id":"EUVD-2015-2639","url":"https://euvd.enisa.europa.eu/vulnerability/EUVD-2015-2639","exploited":true,"exploitedSince":"2022-03-15","provenance":"source"},"exploits":[],"exploitSources":{"pocGithub":{"count":1,"skipped":0,"earliest":"2017-05-25","earliestUrl":"https://github.com/k0keoyo/CVE-2015-2546-Exploit","repos":[{"name":"k0keoyo/CVE-2015-2546-Exploit","url":"https://github.com/k0keoyo/CVE-2015-2546-Exploit","stars":21,"created":"2017-05-25"}]},"first":{"date":"2017-05-25","source":"PoC-in-GitHub","url":"https://github.com/k0keoyo/CVE-2015-2546-Exploit"},"provenance":"source"},"exploitRefs":[],"flow":[{"stage":"exploitation","techniques":["T1204.002"],"provenance":"ai"},{"stage":"primary","techniques":["T1068"],"provenance":"ai"},{"stage":"related","techniques":["T1608"],"provenance":"source","lowConfidence":true}],"timeline":[{"date":"2015-09-08","kind":"exploited-reported","label":"Exploitation 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