What is CVE-2016-3309?

CVE-2016-3309 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1507. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-08-09.

How severe is CVE-2016-3309?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Is CVE-2016-3309 known to be exploited?

Yes. CVE-2016-3309 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-15), indicating it is being actively exploited. 51 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.

Vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1507

CVE-2016-3309

The kernel-mode drivers in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2; Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1; Windows 7 SP1; Windows 8.1; Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2; Windows RT 8.1; and Windows 10 Gold, 1511, and 1607 allow local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2016-3308, CVE-2016-3310, and CVE-2016-3311.

Published 2016-08-09 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.205 (97.5th percentile), scored 2026-10-18.

Moderate probability of exploitation in the next 30 days — watch for active exploitation reports. 97th percentile — 97.5% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.205 · newest: 0.205 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Microsoft Windows 10 1507
Microsoft Windows 10 1511
Microsoft Windows 10 1607
Microsoft Windows 7
Microsoft Windows 8.1
Microsoft Windows Rt 8.1
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 — versions r2
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 — versions r2
Microsoft Windows Vista

CISA KEV (Known Exploited Vulnerabilities)

This CVE is on the CISA KEV catalog, added on 2022-03-15. CISA KEV inclusion means CISA has confirmed in-the-wild exploitation; US federal agencies are required to remediate within a published due date.

BOD 22-01 due date: 2022-04-05.

Required action: Apply updates per vendor instructions.

Known ransomware campaign use: yes.

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2016/ms16-098 (vendor-advisory, Patch, Vendor Advisory)
www.exploit-db.com/exploits/42960/ (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, exploit, Broken Link)
www.securitytracker.com/id/1036572 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry, Broken Link)
www.securityfocus.com/bid/92297 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry, Broken Link)
134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0 (US Government Resource)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-3309?: CVE-2016-3309 is a high-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 1507. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2016-08-09.
How severe is CVE-2016-3309?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.
Is CVE-2016-3309 known to be exploited?: Yes. CVE-2016-3309 is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-15), indicating it is being actively exploited. 51 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed.