Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2023-32049
CVE-2023-32049
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-06-22
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Microsoft Windows Defender SmartScreen security feature bypass allows attackers to circumvent the Open File - Security Warning prompt, potentially enabling execution of malicious files.
Verdict
Today item — known-exploited.
A security feature bypass in Windows Defender SmartScreen that permits attackers to suppress file execution warnings. Exploitation in the wild indicates active abuse to deliver malware without user-visible security prompts.
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 2023-07-11).
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.04401 — 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
Craft a malicious file and distribute it via email or web download, relying on the SmartScreen bypass to prevent warning prompts from appearing.
Business
End users execute malware without awareness, leading to system compromise, data theft, or lateral movement within the organization.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
Bypass the security warning mechanism to ensure the malicious payload executes automatically when the user opens the file.
Business
Reduced friction in attack chain increases infection rates and time-to-compromise, expanding the attack surface across the user base.
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