CVE-2024-38149
Published: 08 October 2024
Summary
CVE-2024-38149 is a high-severity Uncontrolled Resource Consumption (CWE-400) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1507. Its CVSS base score is 7.5 (High).
Operationally, ranked in the top 6.8% of CVEs by exploit likelihood; it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
Deeper analysis
CVE-2024-38149 is a denial-of-service vulnerability in the BranchCache component, assigned a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.5. The flaw is rooted in improper resource management (CWE-400) that allows an attacker to exhaust availability without needing authentication or user interaction.
An unauthenticated remote attacker can send crafted network traffic to a vulnerable BranchCache instance, triggering a high-impact availability condition that disrupts the service while leaving confidentiality and integrity unaffected. The attack requires only network reachability and low attack complexity.
The sole referenced advisory is the Microsoft Security Response Center entry at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38149, which security practitioners should consult for official patch availability and mitigation steps. The associated EPSS score has remained flat at 0.0995 with no material upward trajectory since disclosure.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2024-37795
Vulnerability details
BranchCache Denial of Service 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.
Limiting concurrent sessions directly prevents uncontrolled resource consumption by capping the number of active sessions per user or account.
Analysis identifies uncontrolled resource consumption indicative of denial-of-service or abuse attempts.
Contingency plan testing includes resource exhaustion scenarios to verify recovery, making it harder for attackers to sustain exploits that cause uncontrolled consumption.
Updated contingency plans include current procedures to detect, contain, and recover from resource exhaustion, limiting an attacker's ability to sustain impact from uncontrolled consumption.
Alternate site allows resumption of operations if resource exhaustion at the primary site is exploited to cause unavailability.
Alternate telecommunications services enable resumption of essential functions when primary services become unavailable due to uncontrolled resource consumption.
The team can analyze and respond to resource exhaustion incidents, reducing the impact of attacks that exploit uncontrolled consumption weaknesses.
Timely maintenance support and spare parts enable rapid recovery from failures induced by uncontrolled resource consumption, shortening the impact window of denial-of-service attacks.