CVE-2024-30081 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 (build 10.0.17763.0). It is categorized under CWE-200, which involves the exposure of sensitive information to unauthorized actors. The vulnerability is described as a Windows NTLM spoofing issue. NTLM (NT LAN Manager) is a suite of Microsoft security protocols intended to provide authentication, integrity, and confidentiality to users. This vulnerability allows an attacker to spoof NTLM authentication, potentially gaining unauthorized access to sensitive information. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 7.1, indicating a high severity. The vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N/E:U/RL:O/RC:C) reveals that the attack requires local access (AV:L), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), but user interaction is needed (UI:R). The scope remains unchanged (S:U), and the impact on confidentiality and integrity is high (C:H/I:H), with no impact on availability (A:N). The exploit code maturity is official (RL:O), and the report confidence is confirmed (RC:C). No known exploits are currently reported in the wild. The vulnerability was reserved in March 2024 and published in July 2024. No patch links are provided yet, indicating that a fix may not be publicly available at this time. This vulnerability could allow an attacker with local access and the ability to trick a user into interaction to spoof NTLM authentication, thereby exposing sensitive data and potentially compromising system integrity. Given the nature of NTLM and its use in enterprise environments, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to affected systems.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, especially for those still running Windows 10 Version 1809, which is an older but still in-use version in some enterprises. The exposure of sensitive information through NTLM spoofing could lead to unauthorized data disclosure, undermining confidentiality and integrity of critical business data. This can affect sectors handling sensitive personal data, such as finance, healthcare, and government agencies, potentially leading to regulatory non-compliance with GDPR and other data protection laws. The requirement for local access and user interaction limits remote exploitation but does not eliminate risk, particularly in environments where insider threats or social engineering attacks are possible. The lack of a patch increases the window of exposure. Additionally, the integrity impact means attackers could manipulate data or authentication processes, possibly leading to further lateral movement or privilege escalation within networks. The absence of availability impact suggests system uptime is not directly threatened, but the confidentiality and integrity breaches alone are serious. Organizations relying on NTLM authentication mechanisms should be particularly vigilant, as this vulnerability undermines the trust model of their authentication infrastructure.

1. Immediate mitigation should include restricting local access to systems running Windows 10 Version 1809 to trusted users only, minimizing the attack surface. 2. Educate users to avoid interacting with suspicious prompts or unexpected authentication requests to reduce the risk of user interaction exploitation. 3. Disable or limit the use of NTLM authentication where possible, migrating to more secure authentication protocols such as Kerberos or implementing multifactor authentication (MFA) to reduce reliance on NTLM. 4. Monitor network and system logs for unusual authentication attempts or NTLM traffic anomalies that could indicate exploitation attempts. 5. Apply any available security updates or patches from Microsoft as soon as they are released; regularly check official Microsoft security advisories for updates on this vulnerability. 6. Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting NTLM spoofing or related suspicious activities. 7. Segment networks to limit lateral movement opportunities if an attacker gains local access. 8. Conduct regular security awareness training focusing on social engineering and phishing to reduce the likelihood of user interaction leading to exploitation.