CVE-2023-28229 | Windows CNG Key Isolation Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

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Windows CNG Key Isolation Service Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability

Published: 2023-04-11 Last update: 2025-10-28 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]

Conclusion & alert: CVE-2023-28229 is rated Critical Active Threat (83.8/100): CVSS High severity, with high exploitation likelihood (EPSS 8.64%, 92th percentile). Core evidence: CISA KEV confirms active exploitation (added 2023-10-04) affecting Microsoft / Windows CNG Key Isolation Service. a weakness (CWE-591) 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-2023-28229

Name: Microsoft Windows CNG Key Isolation Service Privilege Escalation Vulnerability · CISA KEV detail

Exploit added: 2023-10-04

Action due: 2023-10-25

Required action: Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2023-28229

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 2026-04-29 10.19% 8.64% -1.55%
2 2026-04-12 9.05% 10.19% +1.14%
3 2026-03-26 9.05%

Full EPSS history (38 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-28229

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
7.0 3.1 HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
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.
1.0 5.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-28229

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-28229

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
microsoft windows_10_1507 < 10.0.10240.19869 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1507:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_10_1607 < 10.0.14393.5850 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1607:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_10_1809 < 10.0.17763.4252 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_1809:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_10_20h2 < 10.0.19042.2846 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_20h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_10_21h2 < 10.0.19044.2846 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_21h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_10_22h2 < 10.0.19045.2846 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_10_22h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_11_21h2 < 10.0.22000.1817 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_21h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_11_22h2 < 10.0.22621.1555 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_11_22h2:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2008 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:-:sp2:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2008 r2 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2008:r2:sp1:*:*:*:*:x64:*
microsoft windows_server_2012 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2012:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
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:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2019 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2019:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
microsoft windows_server_2022 cpe:2.3:o:microsoft:windows_server_2022:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-28229

cvelogic Threat Intelligence