CVE-2015-1769
Published: 15 August 2015
Summary
CVE-2015-1769 is a medium-severity an unspecified weakness vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2008. Its CVSS base score is 6.6 (Medium).
Operationally, ranked in the top 1.8% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; CISA has added it to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified are NIST 800-53 SC-41 (Port and I/O Device Access) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation).
Deeper analysis
Mount Manager in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT Gold and 8.1, and Windows 10 mishandles symlinks. This flaw is tracked as CVE-2015-1769 and carries a CVSS 3.1 score of 6.6 under CWE-264.
A physically proximate attacker with valid local credentials can exploit the issue by attaching a crafted USB device, resulting in arbitrary code execution and elevation of privilege on the target system.
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS15-085 and the accompanying Security Research & Defense blog post describe the vulnerability as a logical issue and provide guidance on detection and mitigation steps for affected platforms.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2015-1899
Vulnerability details
Mount Manager in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT Gold and 8.1, and Windows 10 mishandles symlinks, which allows physically…
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proximate attackers to execute arbitrary code by connecting a crafted USB device, aka "Mount Manager Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."
- CWE(s)
- KEV Date Added
- 25 May 2022
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly requires applying the vendor patch (MS15-085) that corrects Mount Manager symlink handling before a crafted USB can be abused.
Explicitly authorizes or blocks access to USB ports and removable I/O devices, stopping the physical insertion of the malicious device.
Enforces physical access authorization to the system, thereby denying a proximate attacker the opportunity to connect the crafted USB.