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HIGH · CVSS 7.8 CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

CVE-2002-0367

Microsoft Windows Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Microsoft Windows

smss.exe debugging subsystem in Windows NT and Windows 2000 does not properly authenticate programs that connect to other programs, which allows local users to gain administrator or SYSTEM privileges by duplicating a handle to a privileged process, as demonstrated by DebPloit.

CVSS
7.8
HIGH
EPSS
4.9%
30-day exploitation
Ransomware groups
0
recorded exploiting
Published
25 Jun 2002
CWE-269

Exploitation status

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Listed by CISA on 3 March 2022. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 24 March 2022.

EPSS — exploitation probability

FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 4.9%, which is higher than 91.9% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2002-0367 being exploited by ransomware groups?

No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2002-0367.

What does CVE-2002-0367 affect?

CVE-2002-0367 affects Microsoft Windows. smss.exe debugging subsystem in Windows NT and Windows 2000 does not properly authenticate programs that connect to other programs, which allows local users to gain administrator or SYSTEM privileges by duplicating a handle to a privileged process, as demonstrated by DebPloit.

How severe is CVE-2002-0367?

CVE-2002-0367 is rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 4.9%, higher than 91.9% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 24 March 2022.

How should organisations respond to CVE-2002-0367?

Apply the vendor patch for Microsoft Windows as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.