CVE-2024-21320
Published: 09 January 2024
Summary
CVE-2024-21320 is a medium-severity Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor (CWE-200) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows Server 2012. Its CVSS base score is 6.5 (Medium).
Operationally, ranked in the top 3.9% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis
CVE-2024-21320 is a Windows Themes Spoofing Vulnerability affecting the Windows operating system. It carries a CVSS 3.1 base score of 6.5 and is associated with CWE-200, indicating an information exposure issue that can be triggered remotely.
An unauthenticated attacker can exploit the flaw over the network with low attack complexity and no privileges, provided the victim performs a user interaction such as opening a crafted theme file or resource. Successful exploitation results in high impact to confidentiality while leaving integrity and availability unaffected.
Microsoft has published an advisory detailing the vulnerability and available updates. Third-party resources also supply detection and mitigation scripts that administrators can apply to identify and remediate affected Windows installations.
The associated EPSS score rose from lower values to a peak of 0.2560 on 2026-02-24 before receding to the current level of 0.2339.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-19032
Vulnerability details
Windows Themes Spoofing Vulnerability
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
No named actor attribution yet. ATT&CK technique mapping in progress for this CVE.
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
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.
Automated marking applies security attributes to system outputs, making it harder for attackers to exploit unmarked sensitive information leading to unauthorized exposure.
Proper attribute retention and permitted-value enforcement limits unauthorized actors from accessing sensitive information lacking correct labels.
Prevents unauthorized exposure of sensitive information by prohibiting untrusted external systems from processing or storing it.
By enforcing authorization matching prior to sharing, the control reduces the risk of exposing sensitive information to unauthorized actors.
Review and removal of nonpublic information from publicly accessible systems directly prevents exposure of sensitive data to unauthorized actors.
Data mining protection mechanisms detect and block unauthorized bulk extraction of sensitive data, directly mitigating exposure to unauthorized actors.
Literacy training teaches users to recognize and avoid actions that result in unauthorized exposure of sensitive information.
Retaining and monitoring training records confirms personnel have completed privacy and security awareness training on handling sensitive data, reducing the chance of unauthorized exposure due to lack of knowledge.