CVE-2024-30084 is a high-severity elevation of privilege vulnerability affecting the Windows 10 Version 1809 kernel-mode driver. The vulnerability is classified as a Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition (CWE-367), which occurs when the system improperly handles timing between checking a condition and using the result of that check. In this case, the flaw exists within the Windows kernel-mode driver, allowing an attacker with limited privileges (low privileges) to exploit the race condition to elevate their privileges to higher levels, potentially SYSTEM or kernel-level. The vulnerability requires local access (attack vector: local) and high attack complexity, meaning the attacker must carefully time operations to exploit the race condition. No user interaction is required, and the scope is unchanged, indicating the vulnerability affects only the vulnerable component without spreading to other components. The impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability is high, meaning successful exploitation could allow an attacker to fully compromise the system, access sensitive data, modify system files, or cause system instability. Although no known exploits are currently in the wild, the presence of this vulnerability in a widely deployed operating system version makes it a significant risk. The lack of published patches at the time of reporting increases the urgency for mitigation and monitoring. The CVSS 3.1 score of 7.0 reflects these factors, with a vector indicating local attack, high complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction, and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a substantial risk, especially for enterprises and government agencies still running Windows 10 Version 1809, which despite being an older release, may remain in use in certain environments due to legacy application dependencies or delayed upgrade cycles. Exploitation could allow attackers to gain elevated privileges on affected systems, enabling lateral movement, installation of persistent malware, or full system takeover. This could lead to data breaches involving personal data protected under GDPR, intellectual property theft, disruption of critical services, and compromise of sensitive infrastructure. The high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability means that successful exploitation could severely disrupt business operations and damage organizational reputation. The fact that exploitation requires local access limits remote attack vectors but increases the threat from insider threats or attackers who have already gained limited footholds. The absence of known exploits currently provides a window for proactive mitigation, but organizations should act swiftly to prevent potential future exploitation.

European organizations should prioritize the following specific mitigation steps: 1) Identify and inventory all systems running Windows 10 Version 1809 to understand exposure. 2) Apply any available security updates or patches from Microsoft as soon as they are released; monitor Microsoft security advisories closely. 3) If patches are not yet available, implement strict access controls to limit local user privileges and restrict the ability to execute untrusted code or scripts on vulnerable systems. 4) Employ endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions capable of detecting suspicious kernel-level activity or privilege escalation attempts. 5) Conduct regular system integrity checks and monitor logs for unusual behavior indicative of exploitation attempts. 6) Consider accelerating migration plans to supported and updated Windows versions to reduce exposure to legacy vulnerabilities. 7) Educate IT staff and users about the risks of local privilege escalation and enforce the principle of least privilege to minimize attack surface. 8) Use application whitelisting and restrict software installation rights to reduce the risk of attackers gaining initial access or executing exploit code.