CVE-2018-8120

CRITICALNVD 7.09.0▲
EchelonGraph scoreHIGH confidence

Score elevated to 9.0 because this CVE is listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-15), indicating real-world exploitation has been confirmed by US federal agencies. NVD baseline CVSS 7.0 retained for reference. Confidence: HIGH.

Triggered by: CISA KEV (actively exploited)
Sources: cisa_kev, epss, ghsa, nvd
Trending — 4 sources updated this weekExploited in the wild
9.0EG
EchelonGraph verdictMitigate nowTreat as an emergency — this is being exploited.
  • Actively exploited in the wild (CISA-KEV)
CISA-KEV: ExploitedEPSS PROB: 73%CVSS: 7.0Exploit: cisa kev · ssvc active · kev ransomware · Metasploit · Exploit-DB (verified) · epss top5pct · epss high · public exploitExposed services: Not assessed

A fix is referenced (a reference tagged "Patch", often a source commit), but no release containing it is confirmed — find the release that contains it; until it is applied, mitigate (WAF / firewall / segmentation).

An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8124, CVE-2018-8164, CVE-2018-8166.

CVSS v3
7.0
EG Score
9.0CRITICALhigh confidence
EG Risk
81
EG Risk 81/100CISA SSVC

EG Risk is EchelonGraph's 0–100 priority score: it fuses intrinsic severity with real-world exploitation and automatability so you can rank equal-severity CVEs and fix the most dangerous first. Higher = act sooner. Distinct from the 0–10 EG Score (severity).

How it’s computed
Severity90% × 45%
Exploitation100% × 40%
Automatability0% × 15%
CISA SSVC: Track at low, Attend at medium and Act at high mission impact.
Action: A fix is referenced, but no release containing it is confirmed. Check the referenced fix and the vendor's advisory for a release that contains it and apply that within your standard update timelines at low, sooner than that at medium and as soon as possible at high mission impact; until then, restrict network exposure of the affected system or apply the vendor's mitigation.
EPSS PROB
73%
EPSS %ILE
99th
KEV
⚠ Exploited

CISA SSVCTrack at low, Attend at medium and Act at high mission impact.

A fix is referenced, but no release containing it is confirmed. Check the referenced fix and the vendor's advisory for a release that contains it and apply that within your standard update timelines at low, sooner than that at medium and as soon as possible at high mission impact; until then, restrict network exposure of the affected system or apply the vendor's mitigation.

Exploitation active (CISA Vulnrichment) · Automatable no (CISA Vulnrichment) · Technical impact total (CISA Vulnrichment). Mission impact is CISA's Mission & Well-being decision point, and only you can judge it: high means the affected system is essential to your organisation's mission, or its compromise could cause irreversible harm to people. CISA's decision table

Published

May 9, 2018

Last Modified

August 13, 2026

Advisory Details (5)

Auto-updated Jun 11, 2026
⚠️ Active exploitation confirmed. Fix referenced — no release confirmed yet. Sources: microsoft, cisa.
cisa🔴 Active Exploitation

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog | CISA. Listed in CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog.

https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2018-8120
generic🟡 PoC Available

Microsoft Windows - SetImeInfoEx Win32k NULL Pointer Dereference (Metasploit) - Windows local Exploit

https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/45653/
microsoftMentions a patch (unverified)

Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center

Security Update Guide - Microsoft Security Response Center. Patch available via Microsoft Security Update

https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2018-8120
generic
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1040849
generic
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/104034

Vendor Advisories for CVE-2018-8120(1)

These vendors published their own advisory mentioning this CVE — often with vendor-specific remediation steps + affected product lists not in NVD.

Weakness Classification(1)

MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration — the root-cause categories this CVE belongs to.

Data Freshness Timeline

(refreshed 81× in last 7d / 369× in last 30d)

Each row is a source pipeline that fetched or updated this CVE on that date, with what changed. For example, "NVD update" means NVD published or revised its analysis for this CVE; "MITRE cvelistV5" means we ingested or refreshed it from the CNA feed. Most recent first.

Showing the most recent 100 of 1,547 total refreshes for this CVE.

  1. 2026-10-10 22:42 UTCVendor advisory
  2. 2026-10-10 22:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  3. 2026-10-10 18:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  4. 2026-10-10 13:57 UTCVendor advisory
  5. 2026-10-10 13:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  6. 2026-10-10 09:33 UTCVendor advisory
  7. 2026-10-10 09:33 UTCGHSA enrichment
  8. 2026-10-10 05:10 UTCVendor advisory
  9. 2026-10-10 05:10 UTCGHSA enrichment
  10. 2026-10-10 00:47 UTCVendor advisory
  11. 2026-10-10 00:47 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-10-09 20:26 UTCEG score recompute
  13. 2026-10-09 20:26 UTCVendor advisory
  14. 2026-10-09 20:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
  15. 2026-10-09 20:03 UTCEPSS rescore
  16. 2026-10-09 16:04 UTCVendor advisory
  17. 2026-10-09 16:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  18. 2026-10-09 11:41 UTCVendor advisory
  19. 2026-10-09 11:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  20. 2026-10-09 07:19 UTCVendor advisory
  21. 2026-10-09 07:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  22. 2026-10-09 02:56 UTCVendor advisory
  23. 2026-10-09 02:56 UTCGHSA enrichment
  24. 2026-10-08 22:35 UTCVendor advisory
  25. 2026-10-08 22:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
Show 75 more
  1. 2026-10-08 18:12 UTCVendor advisory
  2. 2026-10-08 18:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
  3. 2026-10-08 13:50 UTCVendor advisory
  4. 2026-10-08 13:50 UTCGHSA enrichment
  5. 2026-10-08 09:26 UTCVendor advisory
  6. 2026-10-08 09:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
  7. 2026-10-08 05:03 UTCVendor advisory
  8. 2026-10-08 05:03 UTCGHSA enrichment
  9. 2026-10-08 00:41 UTCEG score recompute
  10. 2026-10-08 00:41 UTCVendor advisory
  11. 2026-10-08 00:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  12. 2026-10-07 23:42 UTCEPSS rescore
  13. 2026-10-07 20:19 UTCVendor advisory
  14. 2026-10-07 20:19 UTCGHSA enrichment
  15. 2026-10-07 15:57 UTCVendor advisory
  16. 2026-10-07 15:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  17. 2026-10-07 11:34 UTCVendor advisory
  18. 2026-10-07 11:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  19. 2026-10-07 07:10 UTCVendor advisory
  20. 2026-10-07 07:10 UTCGHSA enrichment
  21. 2026-10-07 02:47 UTCVendor advisory
  22. 2026-10-07 02:47 UTCGHSA enrichment
  23. 2026-10-06 22:25 UTCVendor advisory
  24. 2026-10-06 22:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
  25. 2026-10-06 18:03 UTCEG score recompute
  26. 2026-10-06 18:03 UTCVendor advisory
  27. 2026-10-06 18:03 UTCGHSA enrichment
  28. 2026-10-06 15:12 UTCEPSS rescore
  29. 2026-10-06 13:41 UTCVendor advisory
  30. 2026-10-06 13:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  31. 2026-10-06 09:18 UTCVendor advisory
  32. 2026-10-06 09:18 UTCGHSA enrichment
  33. 2026-10-06 04:57 UTCVendor advisory
  34. 2026-10-06 04:56 UTCGHSA enrichment
  35. 2026-10-06 00:34 UTCVendor advisory
  36. 2026-10-06 00:34 UTCGHSA enrichment
  37. 2026-10-05 20:12 UTCVendor advisory
  38. 2026-10-05 20:12 UTCGHSA enrichment
  39. 2026-10-05 15:49 UTCVendor advisory
  40. 2026-10-05 15:49 UTCGHSA enrichment
  41. 2026-10-05 11:26 UTCVendor advisory
  42. 2026-10-05 11:26 UTCGHSA enrichment
  43. 2026-10-05 07:04 UTCVendor advisory
  44. 2026-10-05 07:04 UTCGHSA enrichment
  45. 2026-10-05 02:42 UTCVendor advisory
  46. 2026-10-05 02:42 UTCGHSA enrichment
  47. 2026-10-04 22:20 UTCVendor advisory
  48. 2026-10-04 22:20 UTCGHSA enrichment
  49. 2026-10-04 17:58 UTCVendor advisory
  50. 2026-10-04 17:57 UTCGHSA enrichment
  51. 2026-10-04 13:32 UTCVendor advisory
  52. 2026-10-04 13:32 UTCGHSA enrichment
  53. 2026-10-04 09:10 UTCVendor advisory
  54. 2026-10-04 09:10 UTCGHSA enrichment
  55. 2026-10-04 04:47 UTCVendor advisory
  56. 2026-10-04 04:47 UTCGHSA enrichment
  57. 2026-10-04 00:25 UTCVendor advisory
  58. 2026-10-04 00:25 UTCGHSA enrichment
  59. 2026-10-03 20:03 UTCVendor advisory
  60. 2026-10-03 20:03 UTCGHSA enrichment
  61. 2026-10-03 15:41 UTCVendor advisory
  62. 2026-10-03 15:41 UTCGHSA enrichment
  63. 2026-10-03 11:17 UTCVendor advisory
  64. 2026-10-03 11:16 UTCGHSA enrichment
  65. 2026-10-03 06:52 UTCVendor advisory
  66. 2026-10-03 06:52 UTCGHSA enrichment
  67. 2026-10-03 02:30 UTCVendor advisory
  68. 2026-10-03 02:30 UTCGHSA enrichment
  69. 2026-10-02 22:08 UTCVendor advisory
  70. 2026-10-02 22:08 UTCGHSA enrichment
  71. 2026-10-02 17:44 UTCEG score recompute
  72. 2026-10-02 17:44 UTCVendor advisory
  73. 2026-10-02 17:43 UTCGHSA enrichment
  74. 2026-10-02 13:21 UTCVendor advisory
  75. 2026-10-02 13:21 UTCGHSA enrichment

Publicly available exploits

(6 references)

Public exploit code is referenced for this CVE (1 Metasploit module, 1 Exploit-DB entry, 4 GitHub PoCs). Defenders should treat patch urgency accordingly.

  • Exploit-DBEDB-45653✓ verified
    Published Oct 22, 2018

    Microsoft Windows - SetImeInfoEx Win32k NULL Pointer Dereference (Metasploit)

    Open source ↗
  • Metasploitexploit/windows/local/ms18_8120_win32k_privesc✓ verified
    Published Oct 18, 2018

    Windows SetImeInfoEx Win32k NULL Pointer Dereference

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCalpha1ab/CVE-2018-8120
    Published Jun 7, 2018

    CVE-2018-8120 Exploit for Win2003 Win2008 WinXP Win7

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCne1llee/cve-2018-8120
    Published Jun 5, 2018
    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCrip1s/CVE-2018-8120
    Published May 19, 2018

    CVE-2018-8120 Windows LPE exploit

    Open source ↗
  • GitHub PoCbigric3/cve-2018-8120
    Published May 17, 2018
    Open source ↗

Related CVEs(same CWE)

Frequently asked(6)

What is CVE-2018-8120?
CVE-2018-8120 is a critical vulnerability published on May 9, 2018. An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists in Windows when the Win32k component fails to properly handle objects in memory, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2. This CVE ID is unique from CVE-2018-8124,…
When was CVE-2018-8120 disclosed?
CVE-2018-8120 was first published on May 9, 2018, with the most recent update on August 13, 2026. EchelonGraph re-ingests CVE updates from NVD on a 2-hour cycle, so this page reflects the latest published state.
Is CVE-2018-8120 actively exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2018-8120 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on March 15, 2022, affecting Microsoft Win32k. KEV listing indicates confirmed exploitation in the wild; this CVE warrants immediate attention. A fix is referenced, but no release containing it is confirmed. Check the referenced fix and the vendor's advisory for a release that contains it and apply that; until then, restrict network exposure of the affected system or apply the vendor's mitigation.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2018-8120?
CVE-2018-8120 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.0 (NVD). EchelonGraph synthesises NVD + CISA KEV + FIRST EPSS + GHSA into a combined EG score of 9.0 (CRITICAL).
Which products are affected by CVE-2018-8120?
CVE-2018-8120 affects Microsoft Win32k.
How do I remediate CVE-2018-8120?
A fix for CVE-2018-8120 is referenced (a reference tagged "Patch", often a source commit), but EchelonGraph has no release containing it on record. Check that reference and the vendor's advisory for a release that contains the fix and update to it; until then, restrict network exposure of the affected system or apply the vendor's mitigation. The vendor advisories EchelonGraph has for CVE-2018-8120 are linked in the Vendor Advisories panel on this page.

Dependency Blast Radius

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