CVE-2015-1701
Win32k.sys in the kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP2, Vista SP2, and Server 2008 SP2 allows local users to gain…
- 7.8HighCVSS base score
- 55.9%Exploitation in 30 daysEPSS · top 0.9% of all CVEs
- YesKnown exploitedin CISA's KEV since 3 Mar 2022
- 3Public exploitsMetasploit, Nuclei and Exploit-DB
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."
Exploited in the wild
CISA lists this vulnerability in its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog as Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability.
- Added
- 3 Mar 2022
- Fix due (US federal)
- 24 Mar 2022
- Used by ransomware
- Known
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
ENISA's EU Vulnerability Database lists it as exploited, from CISA's KEV, since 3 Mar 2022.
Public exploit
An exploit or proof of concept is public: anyone can try it against an unpatched system. The public collections list a Metasploit module and 2 Exploit-DB entries for it. 2 references of the record are tagged as an exploit. CISA's SSVC rates its exploitation: it is being exploited.
Show the exploits5
Metasploit modules1 module
- Windows ClientCopyImage Win32k Exploit (Metasploit module) (opens in a new tab)
exploit/windows/local/ms15_051_client_copy_imageRank normaldisclosed 12 May 2015
Exploit-DB2 entries
- Microsoft Windows - ClientCopyImage Win32k (MS15-051) (Metasploit) (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 37367local, windowspublished 24 Jun 2015Verified
- Microsoft Windows - Local Privilege Escalation (MS15-051) (Exploit-DB entry) (opens in a new tab)
EDB-ID 37049local, windowspublished 18 May 2015Verified
References tagged exploit2 references
- 37049 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
- 37367 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
Modules, templates and exploits as listed by the Metasploit Framework (BSD-3-Clause), ProjectDiscovery's Nuclei templates (MIT) and the Exploit Database (GPLv2), read once a day. Where the data comes from
Timeline
ID reserved
By microsoft
- 2 months later
· 2 months later
Published
- 7 years later
· 7 years later
Added to CISA KEV
Known exploited, also by ransomware
- 4 years later
· 4 years later
Record updated
Changes after publication (a new score, a public exploit, EPSS crossing 1, 10 or 50 %, leaving KEV) are kept since November 2026; earlier ones are not known.
Scores
| Scored by | CVSS | Score | Vector |
|---|---|---|---|
| CISA-ADPADP (enrichment) | 3.1 | High7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| NVDNVD · Analyzed | 3.1 | High7.8 | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
- EPSS (exploitation in 30 days)
- 55.9% · top 0.9% of all CVEs (10 Nov 2026)
- CISA SSVC
- Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical impact: total
The list uses the assigner's score when there is one, then CISA's, then NVD's: High 7.8.
Affected products
n/a
- affected n/a
References
9
- http://twitter.com/symantec/statuses/590208710527549440 (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- 37049 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
- 74245 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_BIDx_transferred
- MS15-051 (opens in a new tab)vendor-advisoryx_refsource_MSx_transferred
- 37367 (opens in a new tab)exploitx_refsource_EXPLOIT-DBx_transferred
- https://www.fireeye.com/blog/threat-research/2015/04/probable_apt28_useo.html (opens in a new tab)x_refsource_MISCx_transferred
- 1032155 (opens in a new tab)vdb-entryx_refsource_SECTRACKx_transferred
- 20200514 KL-001-2020-002 : Cellebrite Restricted Desktop Escape and Escalation of User Privilege (opens in a new tab)mailing-listx_refsource_FULLDISCx_transferred
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2015-1701 (opens in a new tab)government-resource
Sources
The same CVE in the primary databases and aggregators, to check against.
- CVE.org record (opens in a new tab)
- CVE List JSON (GitHub) (opens in a new tab)
- NVD (opens in a new tab)
- CISA KEV catalog (opens in a new tab)
- FIRST EPSS (opens in a new tab)
- EUVD EUVD-2015-1831 (opens in a new tab)
- OSV.dev (opens in a new tab)
- GitHub Advisories (opens in a new tab)
- CIRCL Vulnerability-Lookup (opens in a new tab)
Badge for a README or a ticket
[](https://cveledger.app/cve/CVE-2015-1701)Record last updated .