CVE-2019-0859: in the CISA KEV catalogue
Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability. CISA added CVE-2019-0859 to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2021-11-03 with a default due date of 2022-05-03. Known ransomware campaign use: Known. Forensic triage flag: No.
Microsoft Win32k fails to properly handle objects in memory causing privilege escalation. Successful exploitation allows an attacker to run code in kernel mode. (CISA description)
- Vendor / product
- Microsoft Win32k
- CWE
- Not listed
- CISA required action
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- EPSS
- 4.2%, percentile 90 (scored 2026-11-03)
EPSS puts about 4.2 in 100 odds (4.2%) on exploitation activity being observed in the next 30 days. Its score is higher than or equal to that of 90% 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-2019-0859 in the CISA KEV catalogue?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2019-0859 (Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability) to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2021-11-03. CISA's default due date for it is 2022-05-03.
Is CVE-2019-0859 used in ransomware attacks?
CISA marks known ransomware campaign use as Known for CVE-2019-0859.
What should I do about CVE-2019-0859?
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-2019-0859