IRONSMITHINTEL
HIGHCVSS7.8
|
Actively Exploited
|CISA KEV|CVE-2019-0543|Auth: low — authenticated user|Reboot: required|Manual only

KB4480116: Windows Server Security Update (January 2019)

A privilege escalation vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles authentication requests. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run processes in an elevated context.

Published Jan 8, 2019 · Updated May 16, 2026
Why patchRisk explained in plain English
Worst-case scenarioIf unpatched

A local attacker, with a low-privilege account, can achieve full data confidentiality loss, arbitrary modification of data, complete denial of service or system unavailability. CISA has confirmed use of this vulnerability in known ransomware campaigns — treat as high priority for remediation. Federal agencies are required to remediate by 2022-04-05 under CISA BOD 22-01.

How the attack worksNo clicks needed

This is a Improper Authentication (CWE-287) vulnerability in Microsoft Windows. An elevation of privilege vulnerability exists when Windows improperly handles authentication requests, aka "Microsoft Windows Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability." This affects Windows 7, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows RT 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows 10, Windows 10 Servers. Exploitation requires local access, low attack complexity, a low-privilege authenticated account, and no user interaction required.

Am I affected?Quick check

Probably yes if any of these apply:

●Windows Administrators
●Systems Engineers
●IT Security
●Running windows 10 1507: -; windows 10 1607: -; windows 10 1703: -; windows 10 1709: -; windows 10 1803: -; windows 10 1809: -; windows 7: -; windows 8.1: -; windows rt 8.1: -; windows server 1709: -; windows server 1803: -; windows server 2008: -, r2; windows server 2012: -, r2; windows server 2016: -; windows server 2019: -
Fixed inKB4480116, KB4480957, KB4480960, KB4480961, KB4480962, KB4480963, KB4480964, KB4480966, KB4480968, KB4480970, KB4480972, KB4480973, KB4480975, KB4480978 (applies to 38 product versions)
Real-world incidentsWhat we've seen

Used in known ransomware campaigns. Threat-research write-up: https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/46156/

How to patch

Manual download

For air-gapped servers or out-of-band deployment. Microsoft Update Catalog returns every OS-version variant of this update.

↗ Microsoft Update CatalogKB4480116

Manual remediation steps

Apply the Microsoft Security Update

Microsoft has released an official security update that fixes this vulnerability.

Required KB Updates

    1
    KB4480116 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480116
    1
    KB4480957 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480957
    1
    KB4480960 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480960
    1
    KB4480961 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480961
    1
    KB4480962 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480962
    1
    KB4480963 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480963
    1
    KB4480964 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480964
    1
    KB4480966 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480966
    1
    KB4480968 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480968
    1
    KB4480970 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480970
    1
    KB4480972 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480972
    1
    KB4480973 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480973
    1
    KB4480975 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480975
    1
    KB4480978 — https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480978

Supersedes: KB4471318, KB4471320, KB4471321, KB4471325, KB4471330, KB4483228, KB4483229, KB4483232, KB4483234, KB4483235

Affected Products

    1
    Windows 10 Version 1607 for 32-bit Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1607 for x64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1703 for 32-bit Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1703 for x64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1709 for 32-bit Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1709 for ARM64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1709 for x64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1803 for 32-bit Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1803 for ARM64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1803 for x64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1809 for 32-bit Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1809 for ARM64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 10 Version 1809 for x64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 10 for 32-bit Systems
    1
    Windows 10 for x64-based Systems
    1
    Windows 7 for 32-bit Systems Service Pack 1
    1
    Windows 7 for x64-based Systems Service Pack 1
    1
    Windows 8.1 for 32-bit systems
    1
    Windows 8.1 for x64-based systems
    1
    Windows RT 8.1
    1
    (…18 more product versions)

Installation Methods

Windows Update (recommended)

1
Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates
2
The security update is offered if your system is in scope
3
Restart when prompted — a reboot IS required to complete the install

Microsoft Update Catalog (manual download)

1
Open https://catalog.update.microsoft.com
2
Search for KB4480116
3
Download the package matching your OS architecture and Windows build
4
Run the .msu installer with administrator privileges
5
Restart when prompted

WSUS / SCCM / Intune

Approve KB4480116 for the affected products in your update management console.

Microsoft Download Center Links

    1
    https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB4480116
    1
    https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB4480957
    1
    https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB4480960
    1
    https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB4480961
    1
    https://catalog.update.microsoft.com/v7/site/Search.aspx?q=KB4480962
    1
    (…9 more)

Verification

Confirm the update is installed:

Get-HotFix | Where-Object { $_.HotFixID -in @('KB4480116','KB4480957','KB4480960','KB4480961','KB4480962','KB4480963','KB4480964','KB4480966','KB4480968','KB4480970','KB4480972','KB4480973','KB4480975','KB4480978') }

References

    1
    Microsoft Security Response Center: https://portal.msrc.microsoft.com/en-US/security-guidance/advisory/CVE-2019-0543
    1
    KB article: https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480116
    1
    KB article: https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480957
    1
    KB article: https://support.microsoft.com/help/4480960
    1
    NVD entry: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2019-0543
    1
    CISA KEV: https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2019-0543

Discovery Credit

James Forshaw of Google Project Zero

PowerShell automationComing soon

No tested PowerShell script for this entry yet. We’re prioritising automation based on user demand.

References

↗ CVE-2019-0543↗ MSRC Advisory↗ NVD↗ KBKB4480116