CVE-2015-1769 — Microsoft Windows Mount Manager Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
Mount Manager in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT Gold and 8.1, and Windows 10 mishandles symlinks, which allows physically proximate attackers to execute arbitrary code by connecting a crafted USB device, aka "Mount Manager Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."
Who exploits it and how urgent it is
A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.
How the score was calculated
- Confirmed exploitation (CISA KEV)+35
- EPSS 4.1% (30-day exploitation probability)+14
- Technical severity (medium)+3
The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).
Triage
Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.
CISA SSVC assessment CISA
Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.
Remediation
Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.
- Documented patch — docs.microsoft.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)
CISA required action CISA
Apply updates per vendor instructions.
US federal deadline: Jun 15, 2022 — passed 1583 day(s) ago
First 24 hours
Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.
- Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 8…).
- Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
- Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
- EPSS ahead of 91% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
- Search available logs for exploit probes matching the vulnerability class (access control), errors and authentication anomalies.
Affected scope
Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.
| Vendor | Product | Versions | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft | Windows 10 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Windows 7 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Windows 8 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Windows 8.1 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Windows Rt | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Windows Rt 8.1 | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2008 | versions not specified by the sourceversion r2-sp1 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Windows Server 2012 | versions not specified by the sourceversion r2 | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| Microsoft | Windows Vista | versions not specified by the source | Vulnerable | NIST National Vulnerability Database |
Attack characteristics
The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.
Every base score collected
Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.
| Score | Version | Severity | Expl. | Impact | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6.6 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | 0.7 | 5.9 | 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
| 6.6 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | — | — | GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories |
| 6.6 | CVSS 3.1 | Medium | — | — | CISA-ADP via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP |
| 7.2 | CVSS 2.0 | High | 3.9 | 10.0 | nvd@nist.gov via NIST National Vulnerability Database |
CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0) Weakness MITRE
Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.
CISA KEV details CISA
CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.
CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.
EPSS over time FIRST
Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 2 reading(s) · max 4.08%
Detection
Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.
- Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
- Audit administrative actions and access to resources outside each user’s normal pattern.
- Hunt retroactively in logs from before May 25, 2022 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.
Timeline
What happened to this CVE, newest first.
- 2026
- SSVC assessment updated
- Record published
- Fix documented
- Affected products added · microsoft/windows 10, microsoft/windows 7, microsoft/windows 8, microsoft/windows 8.1, microsoft/windows rt, microsoft/w
- CVSS changed · 6.6
- Source status changed · → Analyzed
- Added to CISA KEV (detected)
- Record created in this database
- 2022
- Added to CISA KEV catalog
- 2015
- CVE published
Source activity
Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.
- 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
- 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
References
6 on the record
- blogs.technet.com/b/srd/archive/2015/08/11/defending-against-cve-2015-1769-a-logical-is
- docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2015/ms15-085
- www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
- www.securitytracker.com/id/1033244
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2015-1769
- github.com/advisories/GHSA-fj6j-88c7-c8gx
Elsewhere on this site
Related CVEs (same products)
- Medium CVE-2026-97844 Role: DNS Server Information Disclosure Vulnerability 2d
- Medium CVE-2026-97842 Role: DNS Server Information Disclosure Vulnerability 2d
- Medium CVE-2026-97839 Role: DNS Server Information Disclosure Vulnerability 2d
- Medium CVE-2026-97843 Role: DNS Server Information Disclosure Vulnerability 2d
- Medium CVE-2026-97840 Role: DNS Server Information Disclosure Vulnerability 2d
- Medium CVE-2026-97841 Role: DNS Server Information Disclosure Vulnerability 2d
Not in any source we poll
Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.
- No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
- No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
- No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.
Answered from this record
Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.
What should defenders know first?
CVE-2015-1769 is "Microsoft Windows Mount Manager Privilege Escalation Vulnerability", rated Medium. It affects Windows 10 (Microsoft); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 6.6 describes technical severity. EPSS 4.08% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.
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