CriticalCVE-2019-0708

    Microsoft Remote Desktop Services Remote Code Execution Vulnerability (CVE-2019-0708)

    Published In CISA KEV since Sources: CVE.org

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    What is affected, what to do

    This is a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, allowing an unauthenticated attacker to connect via RDP and send specially crafted requests. Successful exploitation grants full control over the affected system. Known as BlueKeep, this vulnerability is actively exploited in ransomware campaigns. Affected products include Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and certain Siemens firmware versions. Immediate patching is critical to mitigate this vulnerability.

    The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. CISA lists it as used in ransomware campaigns. The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

    Affected
    • Microsoft Windows eq 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1..7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1
    • Microsoft Windows eq 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1..7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    • Microsoft Windows Server eq 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Core installation)..2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Core installation)
    • Microsoft Windows Server eq 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1..2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1
    • Microsoft Windows Server eq 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1..2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    • Microsoft Windows Server eq 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Core installation)..2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Core installation)
    • Microsoft Windows Server eq 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 2..2008 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 2
    • Microsoft Windows Server eq 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2..2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2
    • Microsoft Windows Server eq 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2..2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2
    • Microsoft Windows Server eq 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Core installation)..2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Core installation)

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    Metrics

    9.8

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    9.8

    CVSS v3

    Severity Critical on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: CVE.org

    —

    EPSS score

    No value is available for this vulnerability.

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    Critical
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    254.00 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    actively exploited
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    9.8 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    9.8
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited
    Published
    In CISA KEV since

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    CISA assessment (SSVC)
    Exploitation: active · automatable · Technical impact: total
    Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 7 February 2025
    CWE

    CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.

    Read in glossary
    CWE-416

    Response and mitigation

    Why act now?

    Prioritisation rationale

    BlueKeep is a wormable flaw in the RDP service, network-reachable without authentication or user interaction, that yields full kernel-level control; reliable public exploits have been in mainstream frameworks for years. It sits among the CVEs most likely to be exploited, and CISA flags known ransomware campaign use — typically as initial access via internet-facing RDP or for lateral movement once inside. Organisations running legacy Windows in OT, medical or manufacturing environments, or embedded appliances that rarely receive updates, are the classic targets. Treat every unpatched, RDP-reachable legacy host as critical: internet-exposed systems require action today, with internally reachable ones immediately after.

    1. Runbook step 1

      Immediate response (0-24 h)

      • Inventory legacy hosts: Identify every Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003, Server 2008 and Server 2008 R2 host with RDP enabled — scan TCP 3389 (nmap -p3389 --script rdp-ntlm-info) or query CMDB/EDR inventory. Windows 8/10 and Server 2012+ are not affected.
      • Patch (May 2019 release): Windows 7 SP1 / Server 2008 R2: KB4499175 (security-only) or KB4499164 (monthly rollup). Windows XP and Server 2003: out-of-band update KB4500331. Server 2008 SP2: patch available from the vendor — look up the KB number in the Microsoft advisory. A reboot is mandatory.
      • Huawei appliances (Agile Controller-Campus, BH62x/BH640 V2, CH121/CH140): These ship embedded Windows components. Patch available from the vendor — check the Huawei security advisory for fixed versions. Block all RDP access to them until patched.
      • Kill internet exposure now: Block inbound TCP 3389 (and any non-standard RDP ports) at the perimeter; allow remote access only via VPN or RD Gateway.
      • Isolate what you cannot patch today: Move unpatched hosts into a quarantine segment or stop the TermService service where operationally acceptable.
      • Compromise check: On previously exposed, unpatched hosts review bugcheck events and unexplained reboots since exposure (see detection); on any hit, open an incident and rotate local admin credentials.

    2. Runbook step 2

      Mitigation layers

      • Network segmentation: Permit RDP only from a dedicated admin network (jump host/PAW); block east-west TCP 3389 between client VLANs via internal firewalls or Windows Firewall GPO. This sharply limits wormable spread.
      • Enforce Network Level Authentication (NLA): GPO "Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Security > Require user authentication for remote connections by using Network Level Authentication". NLA blocks unauthenticated exploitation but not an attacker holding valid credentials — treat it as a stopgap only.
      • IPS signatures: Enable BlueKeep rules that detect a binding to the MS_T120 virtual channel in the RDP client network data block (Emerging Threats and Talos rulesets cover this); run in blocking mode in front of unpatched segments.
      • Service hardening: Where RDP is not required, disable TermService and set fDenyTSConnections=1 under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server.
      • Lifecycle management: Put unsupported systems (XP/2003/7/2008) on a dated migration plan and track them as high-risk assets in the risk register (ISO 27001 A.8.8 management of technical vulnerabilities).

    3. Runbook step 3

      Detection rules

      • Network telemetry (Zeek/Suricata): RDP sessions where the client requests a channel named MS_T120 in MCS Connect Initial — legitimate clients never do. Review Zeek rdp.log for unexpected sources; alert on Suricata signatures referencing "BlueKeep" or "CVE-2019-0708".
      • Crash indicators: Failed exploit attempts commonly blue-screen the target. Correlate System log Event ID 1001 (BugCheck) and Event ID 41 (Kernel-Power) on RDP-exposed legacy hosts, especially when termdd.sys is implicated.
      • Process ancestry (EDR/Sysmon EID 1): Unexpected children of spoolsv.exe, lsass.exe or the TermService svchost.exe, e.g. cmd.exe, powershell.exe, rundll32.exe — public exploits typically inject payloads into these processes. Sigma shape: ParentImage|endswith: '\spoolsv.exe' AND Image|endswith: ['\cmd.exe','\powershell.exe'].
      • Inbound connections (Sysmon EID 3 / firewall logs): KQL: DeviceNetworkEvents | where LocalPort == 3389 and ActionType == "InboundConnectionAccepted" and RemoteIPType == "Public".
      • Scanning behaviour: One source making many short connections to TCP 3389 across many internal hosts (lateral sweep); SPL: index=fw dest_port=3389 | stats dc(dest_ip) by src_ip | where 'dc(dest_ip)'>20.

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    A remote code execution vulnerability exists in Remote Desktop Services formerly known as Terminal Services when an unauthenticated attacker connects to the target system using RDP and sends specially crafted requests, aka 'Remote Desktop Services Remote Code Execution Vulnerability'.

    Source: NVD (NIST), cvelistv5, CISA KEV Catalog

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    MicrosoftWindows
    • 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    • 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1
    • —
    • —
    MicrosoftWindows Server
    • 2008 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 2
    • 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2 (Core installation)
    • 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    • 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2 (Core installation)
    • 2008 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 2
    • 2008 R2 for Itanium-Based Systems Service Pack 1
    • 2008 R2 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1 (Core installation)
    • 2008 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 2
    • —
    • —
    • —
    • —
    • —
    • —
    • —
    • —
    siemenssyngo_lab_process_manager
    • —
    • —

    Vendors and products

    Affected operating systems

    Affected operating systems
    Otherhuaweiagile_controller-campus_firmwarev100r002c00
    Otherhuaweiagile_controller-campus_firmwarev100r002c10
    Othersiemensaptio_firmware—
    Othersiemensatellica_solution_firmware—
    Othersiemensaxiom_multix_m_firmware—
    Othersiemensaxiom_vertix_md_trauma_firmware—
    Othersiemensaxiom_vertix_solitaire_m_firmware—
    Otherhuaweibh620_v2_firmwarev100r002c00
    Otherhuaweibh621_v2_firmwarev100r002c00
    Otherhuaweibh622_v2_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweibh640_v2_firmwarev100r002c00
    Othersiemenscentralink_firmware—
    Otherhuaweich121_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweich140_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweich220_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweich221_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweich222_firmwarev100r002c00
    Otherhuaweich240_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweich242_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweich242_v3_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweie6000_chassis_firmwarev100r001c00
    Otherhuaweie6000_firmwarev100r002c00
    Otherhuaweielog_firmwarev200r003c10
    Otherhuaweiespace_ecs_firmwarev300r001c00

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-416Use After Free

      Variant

      The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.

      Entry at MITRE CWE-416

    Public exploit references

    Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.

    Public exploit references
    CISA KEV CatalogCISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.govactively exploited
    Packet StormMicrosoft Windows Remote Desktop BlueKeep Denial Of Service (opens in a new tab)packetstormsecurity.comPoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified—
    Packet StormMicrosoft Windows RDP BlueKeep Denial Of Service (opens in a new tab)packetstormsecurity.comPoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified—
    Packet StormBlueKeep RDP Remote Windows Kernel Use After Free (opens in a new tab)packetstormsecurity.comPoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified—
    Packet StormMicrosoft Windows 7 x86 BlueKeep RDP Use After Free (opens in a new tab)packetstormsecurity.comPoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified—
    Packet StormMicrosoft RDP Remote Code Execution (opens in a new tab)packetstormsecurity.comPoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified—
    PoC-in-GitHub (nomi-sec)Explotacion-RCE-Pentesting-BlueKeep-CVE-2019-0708- (opens in a new tab)github.comPoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified

    References & sources

    • portal.msrc.microsoft.comen-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2019-0708x_refsource_MISC, Patch, Vendor advisory
    • Siemens ProductCERTproductcert/pdf/ssa-932041.pdfx_refsource_CONFIRM, Third-party advisory
    • Siemens ProductCERTproductcert/pdf/ssa-616199.pdfx_refsource_CONFIRM, Third-party advisory
    • Siemens ProductCERTproductcert/pdf/ssa-433987.pdfx_refsource_CONFIRM, Third-party advisory
    • Siemens ProductCERTproductcert/pdf/ssa-832947.pdfx_refsource_CONFIRM, Third-party advisory
    • Siemens ProductCERTproductcert/pdf/ssa-166360.pdfx_refsource_CONFIRM, Third-party advisory
    • Siemens ProductCERTproductcert/pdf/ssa-406175.pdfx_refsource_CONFIRM, Third-party advisory
    • huawei.comen/psirt/security-advisories/huawei-sa-20190529-01-windows-enx_refsource_CONFIRM, Third-party advisory
    • huawei.comen/psirt/security-notices/huawei-sn-20190515-01-windows-enx_refsource_CONFIRM, Third-party advisory
    • packetstormsecurity.comfiles/153133/Microsoft-Windows-Remote-Desktop-BlueKeep-Denial-O…x_refsource_MISC, Exploit, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
    • packetstormsecurity.comfiles/153627/Microsoft-Windows-RDP-BlueKeep-Denial-Of-Service.h…x_refsource_MISC, Exploit, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
    • packetstormsecurity.comfiles/154579/BlueKeep-RDP-Remote-Windows-Kernel-Use-After-Free.…x_refsource_MISC, Exploit, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
    • packetstormsecurity.comfiles/155389/Microsoft-Windows-7-x86-BlueKeep-RDP-Use-After-Fre…x_refsource_MISC, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
    • packetstormsecurity.comfiles/162960/Microsoft-RDP-Remote-Code-Execution.htmlx_refsource_MISC, Exploit, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
    • cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-0708government-resource, US government resource
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