CVE-2023-21683
Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows 10 1809
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2023-21683 is a high-severity NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1809. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Endpoint Denial of Service (T1499); ranked in the top 21% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
Windows Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Extension contains a denial-of-service vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-21683. The flaw, assigned CWE-476, affects the IKE component in Windows and carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5 reflecting a network-reachable availability impact without any confidentiality or integrity loss.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can send specially crafted network traffic to trigger the flaw, resulting in a denial-of-service condition against the IKE service. No user interaction or credentials are required, and the attack can be launched over the network with low complexity.
Microsoft has published remediation guidance for the issue in its Security Response Center update guide at the listed reference URL. The EPSS score for the CVE has reached 0.3428 with no material change from its recorded peak.
OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2023-25850
Vulnerability Data
Windows Internet Key Exchange (IKE) Extension Denial of Service Vulnerability
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure SDLC practices (static analysis, code review, safe coding standards) directly prevent NULL dereference bugs during development.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing can detect NULL dereference defects before release.
Secure SDLC mandates defensive coding practices that can prevent NULL dereferences.
Application security requirements can specify input validation and pointer-safety rules.
Secure architecture principles encourage defensive design that avoids unsafe pointer use.
Secure coding standards directly require NULL-pointer checks and safe dereference patterns.