CVE-2024-38249: 
vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2024-38249 is a Windows Graphics Component Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability that affects Microsoft Windows systems. The vulnerability was initially reported on June 5, 2024, and was publicly disclosed on September 10, 2024. The vulnerability exists within the win32kfull driver and specifically relates to a BeginPaint Pen Use-After-Free condition (ZDI Advisory).

The vulnerability stems from the lack of validation of object existence prior to performing operations on the object within the win32kfull driver. It has been assigned a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.8 (High) with the vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. The Zero Day Initiative has assigned it a slightly higher CVSS score of 8.8. The vulnerability has been classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free) (NVD).

If successfully exploited, this vulnerability allows an attacker to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of SYSTEM. The attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system to exploit this vulnerability (ZDI Advisory).

Microsoft has released security updates to address this vulnerability. Users are advised to apply the latest security patches available through the Microsoft Update system (Microsoft Advisory).