CVE-2023-21746

Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary

Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.

CVE-2023-21746 is an elevation-of-privilege vulnerability in the Windows NTLM implementation. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 and is exploitable by a local attacker who already possesses low-privileged access; successful exploitation grants full control over confidentiality, integrity, and availability on the affected system.

An authenticated local user can abuse the flaw without user interaction to obtain higher privileges than intended, allowing the attacker to perform actions that would otherwise be restricted by NTLM security boundaries.

Microsoft has published remediation guidance and patches for the issue through its Security Response Center update guide at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-21746.

The vulnerability’s EPSS score reached a peak of 0.6149 and currently stands at 0.5374, indicating sustained moderate exploitation interest since disclosure.