CVE-2015-1701: in the CISA KEV catalogue
Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. CISA added CVE-2015-1701 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2022-03-03 with a default due date of 2022-03-24. Known ransomware campaign use: Known. Forensic triage flag: No.
An unspecified vulnerability exists in the Win32k.sys kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Server that allows a local attacker to execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. (CISA description)
- Vendor / product
- Microsoft Win32k
- CWE
- CWE-264
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- EPSS
- 56%, percentile 99 (scored 2026-11-03)
EPSS puts about 56 in 100 odds (56%) on exploitation activity being observed in the next 30 days. Its score is higher than or equal to that of 99% of scored CVEs. This is a model estimate about exploitation anywhere, not about your environment.
Vendor and reference links (from CISA)
Your own deadline under CISA BOD 26-04 depends on exposure, automatability and technical impact: work it out with the BOD 26-04 calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Is CVE-2015-1701 in the CISA KEV catalogue?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2015-1701 (Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability) to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2022-03-03. CISA's default due date for it is 2022-03-24.
Is CVE-2015-1701 used in ransomware attacks?
CISA marks known ransomware campaign use as Known for CVE-2015-1701.
What should I do about CVE-2015-1701?
CISA's required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.
Sources
- CISA, Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog (accessed 2026-11-03)
- FIRST, Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS) (EPSS by FIRST; scores generated by Empirical Security)
- NVD record for CVE-2015-1701