Threats / Microsoft / CVE-2024-21412
CVE-2024-21412
· EUVD no mirror located
· GCVE no mirror located
Verified 2026-08-04
Microsoft Windows vulnerability
Microsoft Windows Internet Shortcut Files vulnerability allows security feature bypass. Actively exploited in ransomware campaigns.
Verdict
Today item, not a backlog item.
A security feature bypass in Windows Internet Shortcut Files enables attackers to circumvent protections and establish initial access. Active exploitation in ransomware operations demonstrates immediate threat to enterprise environments.
CISA KEV Yes · 2024-02-135Ransomware use Flagged5EPSS 0.95443 (verify live)6Exploit Public PoC7CVSS 8.13CISA SSVC Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Impact: total4
01
Is it exploitable?
— the evidence, ranked above the scoreExploit available
Public proof-of-concept exploit code is cataloged for this vulnerability.We link the existence of the exploit; we do not host or redistribute payloads.
Reported exploitation
32 independent public reports of in-the-wild exploitation are cataloged.Distinct reporting sources (vendor, incident response, government); open them for the underlying claims.
Exploited in the wild
Listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2024-02-13), flagged for known ransomware use.
Probability (EPSS)
EPSS 0.95443 — modeled likelihood of exploitation activity.EPSS is a daily-changing model output — open the source for today's value.
Severity / affected
CVSS 8.1 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N/E:F/RL:O/RC:C) · Affected: Microsoft, Windows. Confirm exact fixed builds in the vendor advisory.CVSS — CNA-assigned (CVE.org), version 3.1, set at disclosure.
Weakness (CWE)
Mapped to CWE-693 Protection Mechanism Failure.CWE — CNA-assigned (CVE.org); the weakness class drives how the flaw is exploited.
CISA SSVC (triage disposition)
Exploitation: active · Automatable: no · Technical Impact: totalCISA's own stakeholder-specific triage inputs, published in the CVE record (CISA Coordinator role). NOTE: this is CISA's three decision points; the final Act/Attend/Track decision also requires a Mission & Well-being input not published here, so no overall decision is asserted.
Currency of the record
CISA added this to its KEV catalog the same day the CVE record was published.KEV lag = CISA-KEV dateAdded − CVE.org datePublished; a floor on how long the known-exploited flaw sat in the public record before the federal catalog listed it. Severity/weakness here is CNA- or CISA-assigned (current at disclosure), independent of NVD's analysis backlog.
02
Who’s exploiting it?
— attribution turns risk into urgencyAttribution not established
No confirmed (advisory-backed) threat-actor attribution is established for this record. Absence of a named actor is not absence of compromise — see Coverage & confidence.
03
Why it matters
— the attack path, told twice: adversary, then board1
Front door — unauthenticated access narrative 1
Attacker
Craft a malicious Internet Shortcut file that bypasses Windows security mechanisms to execute arbitrary code.
Business
Endpoint security controls fail to prevent malware execution, enabling unauthorized code execution on user systems.
2
Keys to the kingdom — privilege/identity takeover narrative 2
Attacker
Distribute the weaponized shortcut file via email or file sharing to gain initial system access.
Business
User systems become compromised, providing attackers with foothold for lateral movement and data exfiltration.
3
Lateral reach — past segmentation narrative 3
Attacker
Deploy ransomware payload post-compromise to encrypt critical business data and demand payment.
Business
Operations halt due to encrypted systems; financial loss from ransom demands, recovery costs, and business interruption.
04
What to do
— defensible action- Remediate per the vendor advisory — confirm the fixed build for your version and verify exposure.1
Say it to the boardA vulnerability with this evidence profile is a defensible budget line, not a backlog ticket — fund the change against the proof above.
05