CVE-2014-1812
Microsoft Windows Group Policy Preferences Password Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
- High 8.8
- Exploited: added to CISA KEV 3 Nov 2021
- Used in ransomware campaigns
Description
The Group Policy implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 does not properly handle distribution of passwords, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive credential information and consequently gain privileges by leveraging access to the SYSVOL share, as exploited in the wild in May 2014, aka "Group Policy Preferences Password Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."
Key facts
- Published
- 14 May 2014
- Last changed
- 22 Oct 2025
- Assigned by
- microsoft
- KEV added
- 3 Nov 2021
- KEV fix due
- 3 May 2022
- Used in ransomware
- Yes, according to CISA
- EPSS
- 65.117% likely to be exploited in the next 30 days, higher than 99.266% of CVEs (scores for 15 Nov 2026)
- SSVC (CISA)
- Exploitation: active; Automatable: no; Technical impact: partial
Severity scores
Each score is shown as its source gave it. They are not averaged or merged.
- 8.8CVSS 3.1, Highfrom CISA (ADP container)
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
What to do
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.CISA KEV required action
Historical context and remediation
This reference retains the original CVE publication date. A recent record update does not mean a new attack occurred.
No separately sourced impact summary is available on this page yet. Consult the description, version data and dated exploitation evidence.
Version statuses below come from the CNA. An “unaffected” version is not necessarily a currently supported release or proof of a patch date. EPSS is a dated risk estimate, not a count of historical attacks.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| n/a | n/a |
|
Timeline
- 14 May 2014 Published
- 3 Nov 2021 CVE-2014-1812 added to CISA KEV
- 3 Nov 2021 Added to the CISA KEV catalogue