Cyber Resilience

CVE-2023-24870

Memory Safety in Microsoft Windows Server 2012 r2

Published
14 March 2023
Modified
21 November 2024
Patch / advisory
CVSS Score v3.1 6.5
Click a component to see what it means
Raw vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:N
EPSS Score 0.015 71th percentile
Risk Priority 59 floored blend · peak EPSS

Summary

CVE-2023-24870 is a medium-severity Buffer Over-read (CWE-126) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2012. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).

Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Cloud Instance Metadata API (T1552.005); ranked in the top 29% 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.

CVE-2023-24870 is an information disclosure vulnerability affecting the Microsoft PostScript and PCL6 Class Printer Driver. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 and is associated with CWE-126 and CWE-668, indicating risks related to buffer over-read and exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor.

An attacker with low privileges and network access can exploit the flaw without user interaction to read sensitive data from the affected driver, resulting in high confidentiality impact while leaving integrity and availability unaffected.

Microsoft's security advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2023-24870 addresses the issue and directs administrators to apply the published security updates for the impacted printer driver components.

The associated EPSS score has remained flat at 0.1009 with no material rise after disclosure.

OWASP Top 10 for Web (2025)

EU & UK References

Vulnerability Data

Microsoft PostScript and PCL6 Class Printer Driver Information Disclosure Vulnerability

CWE(s)

Related Threats

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques

T1552.005 Cloud Instance Metadata API Credential Access
Adversaries may attempt to access the Cloud Instance Metadata API to collect credentials and other sensitive data.
T1552.007 Container API Credential Access
Adversaries may gather credentials via APIs within a containers environment.
T1039 Data from Network Shared Drive Collection
Adversaries may search network shares on computers they have compromised to find files of interest.
T1530 Data from Cloud Storage Collection
Adversaries may access data from cloud storage.
T1552 Unsecured Credentials Credential Access
Adversaries may search compromised systems to find and obtain insecurely stored credentials.
T1552.001 Credentials In Files Credential Access
Adversaries may search local file systems and remote file shares for files containing insecurely stored credentials.
Derived from this CVE’s CWE(s) via the direct CWE→ATT&CK cross-walk.

CVEs Like This One

CVE-2023-24906Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-24863Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-24866Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-23394Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-24883Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-24901Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-23409Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-28266Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-24942Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507
CVE-2023-35324Same product: Microsoft Windows 10 1507

Affected Assets

microsoft
windows 10 1507
≤ 10.0.10240.19805
microsoft
windows 10 1607
≤ 10.0.14393.5786
microsoft
windows 10 1809
≤ 10.0.17763.4131
microsoft
windows 10 20h2
≤ 10.0.19042.2728
microsoft
windows 10 21h2
≤ 10.0.19044.2728
microsoft
windows 10 22h2
≤ 10.0.19045.2728
microsoft
windows 11 21h2
≤ 10.0.22000.1696
microsoft
windows 11 22h2
≤ 10.0.22000.1413
microsoft
windows server 2012
all versions, r2
microsoft
windows server 2016
all versions
+2 more product configuration(s) — see NVD for full list

Mitigating Controls

Control response

Prevent
Stop it (NIST 800-53)

Detect
Catch it (NIST detect / respond)

Harden
Shrink the surface (DISA STIG)
  • 8 hardening rules · 7 OS baselines
Validate
Prove the fix (OWASP ASVS)

Likely Mitigating Controls AI

Per-CVE control mapping for this CVE has not run yet; the list below is derived from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry.

addresses: CWE-668

Controls whether organization resources are exposed to external system spheres by permitting or prohibiting their use.

addresses: CWE-668

The control ensures information is not released into a security sphere where the recipient lacks matching access authorizations.

addresses: CWE-668

The control ensures information resources are not exposed to the incorrect (public) sphere through review and authorization.

addresses: CWE-668

Protects against data mining that would expose resources to unauthorized spheres by enforcing detection and controls.

addresses: CWE-668

Restricts information flows to ensure resources are not exposed to incorrect or unauthorized spheres.

addresses: CWE-668

Controlling internal connections prevents exposure of resources to unintended internal spheres.

addresses: CWE-668

Knowing exact processing and storage locations helps avoid exposure of resources to incorrect spheres.

addresses: CWE-668

The control prevents exposure of the media resource to the wrong security sphere.

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.

PR.AA-05 mostly match
prevents

Enforcing least-privilege authorizations directly prevents resources from being exposed outside their intended control sphere.

PR.PS-06 mostly match
prevents

Secure development practices directly prevent introduction of buffer over-read weaknesses.

ID.RA-01 partial match
prevents

Vulnerability identification processes can discover buffer over-read flaws via scanning or review.

PR.IR-01 partial match
prevents

Network segmentation and unauthorized-access protections reduce the chance of resources being reachable by the wrong sphere.

PR.PS-02 partial match
prevents

Patching or replacing vulnerable software removes known instances of buffer over-read bugs.

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.

finds

Security testing in development can detect buffer over-reads before release.

mitigates

Placing systems of differing trust levels into separate domains prevents resources from being placed in a sphere where they are reachable by unintended actors.

prevents

Secure SDLC mandates input validation and bounds checking that can prevent buffer over-reads.

prevents

Application security requirements can specify buffer-size and bounds-checking rules.

prevents

Secure architecture principles include memory-safety and bounds-checking design choices.

prevents

Secure coding standards directly require bounds-checked buffer access, mitigating over-reads.

Hardening callouts derived

Configuration rules from DISA STIG baselines that bear on weaknesses of the type cited by this CVE. Each rule is shown with the relationship its mapping actually records, against the CWE it was authored against. Derived via CVE→CWE over `controls_xwalks` (authoritative rows only; rows rated `none` are excluded).

Oracle Linux 8 (2 rules)
  • V-248827 OL 8 must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-668
  • V-248823 OL 8 must not have the telnet-server package installed. prevents CWE-668
RHEL 7 (1 rule)
  • V-204442 The Red Hat Enterprise Linux operating system must not have the rsh-server package installed. prevents CWE-668
Windows 10 (1 rule)
  • V-220967 The Debug programs user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668
Windows 11 (1 rule)
  • V-253490 The "Debug programs" user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668
Windows Server 2016 (1 rule)
  • V-225079 The Debug programs user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668
Windows Server 2019 (1 rule)
  • V-205757 Windows Server 2019 Debug programs: user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668
Windows Server 2022 (1 rule)
  • V-254500 Windows Server 2022 debug programs user right must only be assigned to the Administrators group. prevents CWE-668

References