CVE-2015-1769 Microsoft Windows Mount Manager Privilege Escalation

Exploited in the wild Medium 6.6 Published 15 Aug 2015 Updated 21 Oct 2025

A local attacker with physical access can execute arbitrary code and escalate privileges by connecting a malicious USB device to vulnerable Windows systems.

Exploited in the wild: Since 25 May 2022
Login needed: Any signed-in user
Attackable: Local or same network only
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: None listed

What is CVE-2015-1769?

CVE-2015-1769 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10, published on 15 Aug 2015. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Mount Manager in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2, Windows RT Gold and 8.1, and Windows 10 mishandles symlinks, which allows physically proximate attackers to execute arbitrary code by connecting a crafted USB device, aka "Mount Manager Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

Weakness: CWE-264

Which versions are affected by CVE-2015-1769?

It affects 9 products.

Products include Microsoft Windows 10, Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 8, Microsoft Windows 8.1, Microsoft Windows Rt, Microsoft Windows Rt 8.1 and 3 more.

How do I fix CVE-2015-1769?

No fix has been published for CVE-2015-1769 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available. US federal agencies must fix it by 15 Jun 2022.

Is CVE-2015-1769 being exploited?

Yes. Attackers have exploited CVE-2015-1769 in the wild since at least 25 May 2022.

Public exploit code: 1 proofs of concept on GitHub.

All Microsoft Windows 10 vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as GHSA-fj6j-88c7-c8gx.