Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2009-1123
CVE-2009-1123
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Microsoft Windows kernel fails to properly validate changes to kernel objects, allowing local users to escalate privileges through a crafted application.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Windows kernel stemming from insufficient validation of kernel object modifications. Exploitation requires local access and a malicious application, but enables attackers to gain system-level control.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreReported exploitation
2 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-03).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.04918 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
Affected: Microsoft, Windows. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-20 Improper Input Validation.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
I craft an application that modifies unvalidated kernel objects to bypass security checks.
Business
An attacker with local system access can escalate to kernel privileges, compromising system integrity and confidentiality.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I execute my application on a vulnerable Windows system to trigger the kernel validation flaw.
Business
Compromised systems become fully controlled by the attacker, enabling data theft, malware installation, and lateral movement across the network.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I maintain kernel-level access to persist threats and evade detection mechanisms.
Business
Organizations face prolonged exposure to advanced threats, regulatory violations, and reputational damage from undetected system compromise.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05