CVE-2024-30088: Windows Kernel TOCTOU race condition privilege escalation

Automated analysis

Generated by VULONE's analysis model from the NVD record, CISA KEV and EPSS data on 17 September 2026. Confidence: medium.

high priorityIt is a patched kernel elevation flaw with confirmed exploitation in the wild and known ransomware use, but it requires local access and a race condition to succeed.

What it is

CVE-2024-30088 is a time-of-check time-of-use (TOCTOU) race condition in the Windows kernel that allows a local user to elevate privileges. It affects a broad set of Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server releases, and Microsoft has issued a patch. Because it is a kernel elevation flaw, successful exploitation gives an attacker full control of the host, which is why it is a high-value target for post-compromise activity.

Impact

An attacker who wins the race gains elevated privileges in the kernel, effectively SYSTEM-level control of the affected machine. From there they can disable security tooling, move laterally, or deploy ransomware.

Attack surface

The vulnerability is local (AV:L) and requires low privileges (PR:L) with no user interaction (UI:N), so an attacker must already have code execution or an interactive session on the target host. It is not remotely reachable and does not require a victim to open a file or click a link.

Exploitation

CVE-2024-30088 is listed in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog with a due date of 2024-11-05 and is flagged for known ransomware campaign use. EPSS gives it a 30-day exploitation probability of roughly 0.68 (99.3rd percentile), indicating active, widespread exploitation.

What to do

• Apply the Microsoft security update for CVE-2024-30088 to all affected Windows 10, Windows 11 and Windows Server builds as the first action.
• Prioritize patching internet-facing and high-value hosts, and treat any unpatched system as compromised until proven otherwise.
• Restrict local interactive logon and administrative rights to reduce the pool of accounts that can trigger the race condition.
• Enable and tune kernel-level exploit protection and endpoint detection to catch privilege-escalation behavior.
• Track CISA KEV remediation deadlines and confirm patching through vulnerability scanning.

Detection

• Monitor for unexpected processes gaining SYSTEM or kernel-level privileges, especially short-lived or unusual parent-child process relationships.
• Alert on suspicious token manipulation or privilege escalation attempts in Windows security event logs (e.g., 4672, 4688) from non-administrative accounts.
• Hunt for known exploit tooling or post-exploitation behavior associated with kernel EoP, such as driver loading or security service tampering.
• Correlate local privilege escalation events with subsequent lateral movement or ransomware precursor activity.

This assessment is produced automatically and is not human-reviewed. Verify against the vendor advisory before acting on it.