Microsoft Graphics Device Interface (GDI) Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2017-0001)
Published In CISA KEV since Sources: CVE.org
What is affected, what to do
The Graphics Device Interface (GDI) in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8.1; Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2; Windows RT 8.1; and Windows 10 Gold, 1511, and 1607 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Windows GDI Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This vulnerability is different from those described in CVE-2017-0005, CVE-2017-0025, and CVE-2017-0047.
The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. 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 GDI
eq The Graphics Device Interface (GDI) in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8..The Graphics Device Interface (GDI) in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8
- Microsoft Windows GDI
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Metrics
7.8
Priority
XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.
Source: NVD, CVSS v3
7.8
CVSS v3
Severity High on the scale from 0 to 10.
Source: CVE.org
3.1 %
EPSS score
Moderate — model estimates 1-10% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 87.8
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- 200.63 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- 7.8 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- 7.8
EPSS score
The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.
Read in glossary- 3.1 %
- Moderate — model estimates 1-10% exploitation likelihood.
EPSS percentile
The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.
Read in glossary- 87.8
- Critical — this CVE ranks in the top fifth of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 80%).
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 · not automatable · Technical impact: total
- Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 10 February 2025
Response and mitigation
Why act now?
Prioritisation rationale
CVE-2017-0001 is a local privilege escalation in the GDI kernel subsystem. It has low attack complexity, needs no user interaction, and requires only an existing low-privilege foothold. Attackers chain this class of bug after initial access (phishing, browser or Office exploits) to reach SYSTEM and then harvest credentials. CISA does not flag ransomware use, and exploitation likelihood is moderate but noticeably above average. Treat it as low priority in fully patched, supported estates. Treat it as high priority wherever unpatched legacy Windows survives, especially terminal servers and OT/production workstations in KRITIS environments, where any user session can become full host compromise.
Runbook step 1
Immediate response (0-24 h)
- Verify patch status: The cumulative security update for CVE-2017-0001 is available from the vendor. Look up the exact KB in the Microsoft Security Update Guide. Confirm via WSUS, SCCM/Intune or
Get-HotFixthat affected hosts have it: Vista SP2, Server 2008 SP2/R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, 8.1/RT 8.1, Server 2012/2012 R2, and Windows 10 1507/1511/1607. - Filter inventory for legacy systems: Most affected builds are past end of support. Flag any host without current cumulative updates or ESU coverage as a high-risk asset in the CMDB and risk register.
- Patch multi-user hosts first: Start with RDS/Citrix servers on 2008 R2 or 2012/2012 R2. On these, any logged-on low-privilege user can trigger the escalation.
- Triage suspected compromise: Isolate unpatched hosts that show suspicious SYSTEM processes or unexplained bugchecks (EDR network containment). Then rotate local admin and service account passwords, using LAPS where available.
- Stopgap for unpatchable systems: Restrict interactive and RDP logon to the minimum set of accounts via GPO. Block execution of untrusted binaries (see mitigations).
- Verify patch status: The cumulative security update for CVE-2017-0001 is available from the vendor. Look up the exact KB in the Microsoft Security Update Guide. Confirm via WSUS, SCCM/Intune or
Runbook step 2
Mitigation layers
- Application control (endpoint): Enforce WDAC or AppLocker and deny EXE/DLL execution from user-writable paths (
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\*,%TEMP%,C:\Users\Public\*, Downloads). The exploit needs a crafted application to run, so this is the single most effective compensating control. - Network segmentation: Move unpatchable legacy hosts into a dedicated VLAN or zone. Deny internet egress and allow only required ports to defined destinations. Block SMB (445) and RDP (3389) from user VLANs to these hosts so that a successful escalation cannot be turned into lateral movement.
- IAM / least privilege: Remove local admin rights and enforce admin tiering (no Tier-0 logons on workstations or terminal servers). Deploy LAPS so that SYSTEM on one host does not yield reusable credentials.
- Post-exploitation credential protection: Enable LSA protection (
RunAsPPL=1) and, where supported, Credential Guard. Disable WDigest (UseLogonCredential=0). This limits credential dumping after a successful escalation. - Harden initial access: This bug is usually a second-stage component. Enforce macro blocking, ASR rules (Office and script child processes) and email/browser isolation on affected hosts.
- Application control (endpoint): Enforce WDAC or AppLocker and deny EXE/DLL execution from user-writable paths (
Runbook step 3
Detection rules
- User-to-SYSTEM jump (Sysmon EID 1 / Event 4688): Look for a child process running as
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEMwhose parent runs in user context. Sigma shape:User|contains: 'SYSTEM'AND NOTParentUser|contains: 'SYSTEM'ANDImage|endswith: ['\cmd.exe','\powershell.exe','\rundll32.exe']. - KQL (Defender for Endpoint):
DeviceProcessEvents | where AccountSid == "S-1-5-18" and InitiatingProcessAccountSid != "S-1-5-18" and InitiatingProcessFolderPath has_any (@"\AppData\", @"\Temp\", @"\Users\Public\") - Execution from user-writable paths: Watch for AppLocker events 8003 (audit) and 8004 (blocked) and for WDAC CodeIntegrity events 3076/3077 involving unsigned binaries under
AppDataorTempon legacy hosts. - Failed kernel exploits: Correlate clusters of System event 1001 (BugCheck) and 41 (Kernel-Power) on a single host, especially when
win32k.sysorwin32kfull.sysappears in the dump. These point to unstable GDI/Win32k exploit attempts. - Follow-on activity: Look for
lsass.exeaccess (Sysmon EID 10,GrantedAccess0x1010/0x1FFFFF), new services (7045) or new local admin group members (4732) shortly after a suspicious SYSTEM process.
- User-to-SYSTEM jump (Sysmon EID 1 / Event 4688): Look for a child process running as
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
The Graphics Device Interface (GDI) in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8.1; Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2; Windows RT 8.1; and Windows 10 Gold, 1511, and 1607 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Windows GDI Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This vulnerability is different from those described in CVE-2017-0005, CVE-2017-0025, and CVE-2017-0047.
Source: NVD (NIST), CISA KEV Catalog, CVE.org (MITRE), cvelistv5
Affected products
The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.
| Affected versions | Fixed in | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Corporation | Windows GDI |
|
|
Vendors and products
- Microsoft Windows 10 1507
- Microsoft Windows 10 1511
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows 10 1607
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows 7
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows 8.1
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows RT 8.1
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows Server 2008
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows Server 2012
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows Server 2016
- Microsoft Microsoft Windows Vista Gold on X64
- Microsoft Corporation Windows Gdi+
Affected operating systems
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_1507 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_1511 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_10_1607 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_7 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_8.1 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_rt_8.1 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2008 | r2 |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2008 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2012 | r2 |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2012 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_server_2016 | — |
| Windows | microsoft | windows_vista | — |
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.
| CISA KEV Catalog | CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.gov | actively exploited |
References & sources
- portal.msrc.microsoft.comen-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2017-0001x_refsource_CONFIRM, Patch, Vendor advisory
- securitytracker.com1038002Vulnerability database, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken link, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
- securityfocus.com96057Vulnerability database, x_refsource_BID, Broken link, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
- cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2017-0001government-resource, US government resource
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<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2017-0001"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2017-0001.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2017-0001 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>