Microsoft Windows Graphics Device Interface (GDI) Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2017-0005)
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-2017-0001, 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
Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability
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
11.0 %
EPSS score
Elevated — model estimates 10-50% exploitation likelihood.
Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 95.9
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- 212.56 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- 11.0 %
- Elevated — model estimates 10-50% 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- 95.9
- 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-2017-0005 is a local privilege escalation in the Windows kernel graphics subsystem. It needs only a low-privileged account, requires no user interaction, and yields full SYSTEM-level compromise. Attackers typically chain GDI and win32k flaws like this as the second stage after a browser, document or phishing foothold, using them to escape a sandbox or standard-user context. Exploitation likelihood is assessed as high, and CISA does not flag known ransomware use. Patched, current Windows estates are not affected. The real exposure sits in legacy and embedded Windows systems in OT and KRITIS environments, which should be treated as high priority wherever they have internet access, handle email, or serve multiple users.
Runbook step 1
Immediate response (0-24 h)
- Inventory affected systems: Use your CMDB, SCCM/Intune or
Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystemto find every host running Vista SP2, 7 SP1, 8.1, RT 8.1, Server 2008 SP2/R2 SP1, Server 2012/2012 R2, or Windows 10 1507, 1511 or 1607. Focus on legacy boxes in OT, medical, POS and lab environments. - Deploy the security update: A patch is available from Microsoft. Look up the KB number for each OS in the Microsoft Security Update Guide entry for CVE-2017-0005. Later cumulative updates and Monthly Rollups supersede it. Verify coverage with
Get-HotFixor your vulnerability scanner. - Triage end-of-life systems separately: Vista, 7, Server 2008 and Windows 10 1507/1511 without ESU no longer receive fixes. Flag them as high-risk and move them into an isolated segment or decommission them where feasible.
- Restrict interactive logon: On unpatched multi-user servers (RDS, Citrix, jump hosts), limit local and RDP logon to accounts that strictly need it. Exploitation requires an authenticated user running code.
- Prioritise hosts with recent alerts: Review endpoints with recent malware, phishing or browser-exploit alerts for follow-on escalation to SYSTEM, and isolate them if you find indicators.
- Inventory affected systems: Use your CMDB, SCCM/Intune or
Runbook step 2
Mitigation layers
- Application control (endpoint hardening): Use AppLocker or WDAC to block unsigned binaries from user-writable paths (
%APPDATA%,%TEMP%,%LOCALAPPDATA%,C:\Users\*\Downloads). The attack depends on the user being able to run a crafted application. - Least privilege (IAM): Remove standing local admin rights and deploy LAPS. Once an attacker reaches SYSTEM, this limits lateral movement through reused credentials.
- Network segmentation: Place unpatchable legacy hosts in a dedicated VLAN. Deny outbound internet and allow inbound traffic only on the required ports from named sources. This starves the initial-access stage that this exploit normally follows.
- Shrink initial-access vectors: Block internet-sourced Office macros. Enable Defender ASR rules, notably "Block executable files unless they meet a prevalence, age, or trusted list criterion" and "Block Office applications from creating child processes". Strip browsers and plugins from legacy hosts that do not need them.
- Telemetry coverage: Keep an EDR sensor with kernel-exploit and token-manipulation detection on legacy hosts. Where that is impossible, deploy Sysmon with process-creation and image-load logging forwarded to the SIEM.
- Application control (endpoint hardening): Use AppLocker or WDAC to block unsigned binaries from user-writable paths (
Runbook step 3
Detection rules
- Integrity-level jump (Sysmon EID 1 / Security 4688): A process with
IntegrityLevel=Systemwhose parent runs at Medium integrity under a user account (not a service). Sigma shape:ParentIntegrityLevel: MediumANDIntegrityLevel: SystemANDImage|endswith: \cmd.exe|\powershell.exe. - Token theft pattern: A process running as
NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEMwhose parent is notservices.exe,wininit.exeorsvchost.exe. KQL:DeviceProcessEvents | where AccountSid == "S-1-5-18" and InitiatingProcessAccountSid != "S-1-5-18" and InitiatingProcessFileName !in~ ("services.exe","wininit.exe","svchost.exe"). - Execution from user-writable paths: Sysmon EID 1 or 4688 with
Imageunder\AppData\or\Temp\, followed within seconds by a SYSTEM child process or a new service (System 7045, Security 4697). - Kernel crashes from failed exploit attempts: System Event 1001 (BugCheck) or Kernel-Power 41 referencing
win32k.sysorwin32kfull.sys, especially repeated crashes on one host. SPL:index=wineventlog EventCode=1001 "win32k". - Post-escalation activity: New local admin accounts (4720, 4732), LSASS access (Sysmon EID 10 where
TargetImageends inlsass.exe) or security tooling being disabled shortly after suspicious user-context execution.
- Integrity-level jump (Sysmon EID 1 / Security 4688): A process with
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-2017-0001, CVE-2017-0025, and CVE-2017-0047.
Source: NVD (NIST), cvelistv5, CISA KEV Catalog, CVE.org (MITRE)
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 | |
| Reference tagged as exploit | blogs.technet.microsoft.com (opens in a new tab) | PoC (publicly reported)reported, not verified | — |
References & sources
- portal.msrc.microsoft.comen-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2017-0005x_refsource_CONFIRM, Patch, Vendor advisory
- securityfocus.com96033Vulnerability database, x_refsource_BID, Broken link, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
- securitytracker.com1038002Vulnerability database, x_refsource_SECTRACK, Broken link, Third-party advisory, Vulnerability database
- blogs.technet.microsoft.commmpc/2017/03/27/detecting-and-mitigating-elevation-of-privilege…x_refsource_CONFIRM, Exploit, Mitigation, Patch, Vendor advisory
- cisa.govknown-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2017-0005government-resource, US government resource
Embed badge
Show the severity and KEV status of this vulnerability on your site – with a link back here. The image is updated hourly.
<a href="https://intel.neosec.eu/en/cve/CVE-2017-0005"><img src="https://intel.neosec.eu/badge/cve/CVE-2017-0005.svg?lang=en" alt="CVE-2017-0005 – NEOSEC Intel" height="20"></a>