CVE-2018-8405

Exp

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when the DirectX Graphics Kernel (DXGKRNL) driver improperly handles objects in memory, aka "DirectX Graphics Kernel Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8400, CVE-2018-8401, CVE-2018-8406.

Published: 2018-08-15 Last update: 2025-10-28 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2018-8405 is rated Critical Active Threat (86.5/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 49.99%, 98th percentile). Core evidence: CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2022-03-28) affecting Microsoft / DirectX Graphics Kernel (DXGKRNL). a weakness (CWE-404) Unauthenticated remote administrative access may be possible. Mandatory action: The CISA remediation deadline has passed—treat as an emergency patch priority.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

CISA KEV Record for CVE-2018-8405

Name: Microsoft DirectX Graphics Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2022-03-28

Action due: 2022-04-18

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2018-8405

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2025-11-21 53.87% 49.99% -3.88%
2 2025-11-18 49.99% 53.87% +3.88%
3 2025-10-29 49.99%

Full EPSS history (15 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2018-8405

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.8 5.9 [email protected]
7.8 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H)
Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H)
They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
1.8 5.9 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0
7.2 2.0 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C Click to expand
Access vector (AV:L)
Requires local access to the target system.
Access complexity (AC:L)
Exploitation conditions are straightforward and predictable.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:C)
Complete confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:C)
Complete integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:C)
Complete availability impact.
3.9 10.0 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2018-8405

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2018-8405

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
microsoft windows_10_1507 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1507:-:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
microsoft windows_10_1507 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1507:-:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
microsoft windows_10_1607 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1607:-:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
microsoft windows_10_1607 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1607:-:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
microsoft windows_10_1703 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1703:-:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
microsoft windows_10_1703 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1703:-:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
microsoft windows_10_1709 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1709:-:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
microsoft windows_10_1709 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1709:-:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
microsoft windows_10_1803 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1803:-:*:*:*:*:*:x64:*
microsoft windows_10_1803 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1803:-:*:*:*:*:*:x86:*
microsoft windows_8.1 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_8.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_rt_8.1 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_rt_8.1:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_1709 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_1709:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_1803 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_1803:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2012 r2 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2012:r2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2016 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2016:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2018-8405

cvelogic Threat Intelligence