CVE-2024-37987 is a high-severity vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1809 (build 10.0.17763.0). It is classified as a type confusion flaw (CWE-843), where the system accesses a resource using an incompatible type, leading to unintended behavior. Specifically, this vulnerability impacts the Secure Boot security feature, which is designed to ensure that only trusted software is loaded during the system startup process. By exploiting this type confusion, an attacker could bypass Secure Boot protections, potentially allowing unauthorized code execution early in the boot process. The CVSS 3.1 base score is 8.0, indicating a high severity with the following vector: Attack Vector is adjacent network (AV:A), low attack complexity (AC:L), no privileges required (PR:N), requires user interaction (UI:R), scope unchanged (S:U), and high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability (C:H/I:H/A:H). Although no known exploits are currently reported in the wild, the vulnerability's nature suggests that an attacker could leverage it to compromise system integrity and persist through reboots by circumventing Secure Boot. This could lead to installation of rootkits or bootkits, severely undermining system security and trustworthiness. The vulnerability affects a legacy Windows 10 version (1809), which may still be in use in some environments, especially those with strict application compatibility requirements or delayed upgrade cycles. No official patches or mitigation links are provided yet, indicating that organizations should be vigilant and prepare for forthcoming updates from Microsoft.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-37987 could be significant, particularly in sectors relying on legacy Windows 10 1809 systems, such as industrial control systems, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure. Bypassing Secure Boot undermines the root of trust in system integrity, enabling attackers to deploy persistent malware that survives reboots and evades detection by traditional security solutions. This could lead to data breaches, operational disruptions, and loss of sensitive information. Given the high confidentiality, integrity, and availability impacts, organizations could face regulatory consequences under GDPR if personal data is compromised. The requirement for user interaction and adjacency of the attack vector suggests targeted attacks or social engineering could be involved, increasing risk in environments with less stringent user security awareness. The lack of known exploits in the wild currently reduces immediate risk but does not eliminate the threat, especially as exploit code could emerge rapidly after public disclosure.

1. Prioritize upgrading or patching Windows 10 systems to versions later than 1809 as soon as Microsoft releases a security update addressing this vulnerability. 2. Implement strict network segmentation to limit adjacency attack vectors, reducing exposure to potentially malicious actors within local or adjacent networks. 3. Enforce multi-factor authentication and user training to mitigate risks associated with required user interaction during exploitation attempts. 4. Monitor system boot integrity using Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools capable of detecting boot-level anomalies or unauthorized firmware modifications. 5. Employ hardware-based security features such as TPM (Trusted Platform Module) and ensure Secure Boot is enabled and properly configured on all systems. 6. Conduct regular audits of legacy systems and consider accelerated migration plans away from unsupported or vulnerable Windows versions. 7. Establish incident response procedures specifically for boot-level compromises, including forensic analysis capabilities and recovery plans.