CVE-2024-30010 is a high-severity vulnerability identified in Microsoft Windows Server 2019, specifically version 10.0.17763.0. This vulnerability is classified under CWE-23, which corresponds to Relative Path Traversal. The flaw exists within the Windows Hyper-V component, a virtualization technology that allows multiple operating systems to run concurrently on a single physical server. The vulnerability enables an attacker with limited privileges (requiring low privileges but no user interaction) to perform remote code execution (RCE) by exploiting improper handling of file paths. Through relative path traversal, an attacker can manipulate file system paths to access or overwrite files outside the intended directory scope. This can lead to execution of arbitrary code with elevated privileges, compromising the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the affected system. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.8, indicating a high severity level, with an attack vector of network (AV:N), low attack complexity (AC:L), requiring privileges (PR:L), no user interaction (UI:N), and impacting confidentiality, integrity, and availability to a high degree (C:H/I:H/A:H). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, but the vulnerability is publicly disclosed and considered critical for environments running the affected Windows Server 2019 version. The lack of available patches at the time of publication increases the urgency for mitigation efforts. Given Hyper-V’s role in server virtualization, exploitation could allow attackers to compromise virtual machines or the host system, potentially affecting multiple tenants or services hosted on the server.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-30010 could be significant, especially for enterprises and service providers relying on Windows Server 2019 with Hyper-V for virtualization infrastructure. Successful exploitation could lead to full system compromise, allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code remotely, potentially leading to data breaches, service disruptions, and lateral movement within corporate networks. This is particularly critical for sectors such as finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure, where virtualization is widely used and data sensitivity is high. The ability to compromise Hyper-V hosts could also affect cloud service providers operating in Europe, impacting multi-tenant environments and causing cascading effects on availability and confidentiality. Given the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, organizations could face regulatory consequences under GDPR if personal data is exposed. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive defense, but the vulnerability’s network accessibility and low complexity of exploitation increase the risk of future attacks.

1. Immediate mitigation should focus on reducing the attack surface by restricting network access to Hyper-V management interfaces using network segmentation and firewalls, limiting exposure to trusted administrative networks only. 2. Implement strict access controls and monitor accounts with privileges to Hyper-V to prevent unauthorized use, including enforcing least privilege principles and multi-factor authentication for administrative access. 3. Employ enhanced logging and monitoring on Hyper-V hosts to detect suspicious file system access patterns indicative of path traversal attempts. 4. Regularly audit and validate the integrity of critical system files and configurations to detect unauthorized changes. 5. Until an official patch is released, consider temporary workarounds such as disabling or limiting Hyper-V features that are not essential, or isolating vulnerable servers from critical network segments. 6. Prepare for rapid deployment of patches once available by maintaining an up-to-date inventory of affected systems and testing patch compatibility in controlled environments. 7. Educate IT and security teams about this specific vulnerability to increase awareness and readiness for incident response. These steps go beyond generic advice by focusing on network-level controls, privilege management, and proactive monitoring tailored to the Hyper-V environment.