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Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2014-4148
CVE-2014-4148 · EUVD no mirror located · GCVE no mirror located Verified 2026-06-22

Microsoft Windows vulnerability

A remote code execution vulnerability in Windows kernel-mode driver TrueType font handling allows attackers to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges.

Verdict

Today item — known-exploited.

This kernel-mode RCE vulnerability in TrueType font processing presents severe risk. Exploitation requires user interaction to open a malicious font file but grants full system compromise. Active exploitation in the wild confirms practical threat.

CISA KEV Yes · 2022-05-253EPSS 0.50703 (verify live)4
01

Is it exploitable?

— the evidence, ranked above the score
Reported exploitation
7 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 2022-05-25).
CISA KEV ↗Confirmed
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.50703 — 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.
NVD ↗Reported
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-94 Code Injection — weakness family: Injection.CWE assignment from the public NVD record; the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
NVD ↗Reported
WeaknessCWE-94 · Code InjectionInjection
02

Who’s exploiting it?

— attribution turns risk into urgency
Attribution 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 board
1

Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1

Attacker
Craft a malicious TrueType font file that triggers improper kernel-mode driver handling.
Business
Attacker gains kernel-level code execution, enabling complete system compromise and persistent control.
2

Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2

Attacker
Distribute the malicious font via email, web download, or document embedding to target users.
Business
Widespread infection potential across Windows systems, leading to data theft, lateral movement, and infrastructure compromise.
3

Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3

Attacker
Execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges to disable security controls and establish persistence.
Business
Security defenses become ineffective; attackers maintain long-term access and control over affected systems.
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

Coverage & confidence

— what we know, and what we don’t

Established (cited)

  • KEV listing (CISA)
  • EPSS probability (FIRST)
  • 7 reported-exploitation source(s)
  • CWE weakness mapping (NVD)
  • Catalogued by microsoft (CNA)
  • Coverage gaps — stated, not hidden

  • No EUVD / GCVE mirror in feed — single-authority dependency for the identifier.
  • EPSS & exposure are time-varying; verify live at the source.
  • Threat-actor attribution not established from feed data — absence of a name is not absence of compromise.
  • No finder/reporter credit recorded in the public CVE entry — the work behind this find is unattributed.
  • Disclosure & credit2
    Catalogued by microsoftCNA
    Credited with finding itNo finder named in the public CVE record — the work behind this find is unattributed.