Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2018-8440
CVE-2018-8440
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Windows improperly handles Advanced Local Procedure Call (ALPC) requests, allowing local attackers to elevate privileges. This vulnerability has been exploited in ransomware campaigns.
Verdict
Today item, not a backlog item.
A local privilege escalation flaw in Windows ALPC handling with confirmed active exploitation and ransomware deployment. Requires local access but enables full system compromise from unprivileged context.
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Public proof-of-concept exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
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 2022-03-28), flagged for known ransomware use.
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.1853 — 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.
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 gain initial access to a Windows system with limited user privileges through phishing, malware delivery, or supply chain compromise.
Business
An attacker establishes a foothold on corporate endpoints, bypassing perimeter controls.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
I exploit the ALPC handling flaw to escalate my privileges from standard user to SYSTEM level.
Business
The attacker gains unrestricted control over the compromised machine, defeating application sandboxing and user account isolation.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
I deploy ransomware or other malicious payloads with full system privileges.
Business
Critical business systems become encrypted or compromised, leading to operational shutdown, data loss, and extortion demands.
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