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CVE-2002-0367

From Exploited flaws, HARD’s guide to the flaws being used in attacks · Checked
This article is about a flaw in Microsoft Windows. For every flaw being used in attacks, see Exploited flaws; for Microsoft’s, see Microsoft flaws being used in attacks.

CVE-2002-0367 is a security flaw in Microsoft Windows, Microsoft’s operating system for PCs and servers. Someone who already has a foothold can use Microsoft Windows to take full control of the machine. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) added it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks on 3 Mar 2022.[1]

Microsoft Windows is in things households have, such as phones, computers, browsers and everyday apps, so the fix matters at home as much as at work. Microsoft has published a fix or advice.

Description

CISA calls it a privilege escalation in Microsoft Windows. In its words: “smss.exe debugging subsystem in Microsoft Windows does not properly authenticate programs that connect to other programs, which allows local users to gain administrator or SYSTEM privileges.”[1]

The CVE record adds: “smss.exe debugging subsystem in Windows NT and Windows 2000 does not properly authenticate programs that connect to other programs, which allows local users to gain administrator or SYSTEM privileges by duplicating a handle to a privileged process, as demonstrated by DebPloit.”[2]

The underlying weakness is improper privilege management (CWE-269), in MITRE’s list of common software weaknesses.

It scores 7.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System, which rates it high, scored by NVD using CVSS 3.1.[2]

Affected versions

NVD’s record doesn’t list version ranges for it; Microsoft’s advisory has them[3]. CISA names the product as Microsoft Windows.

Every device with Microsoft Windows needs the update.

Exploitation

CISA added it to its catalog of known exploited vulnerabilities on 3 Mar 2022, 7,191 days after it was made public. CISA lists a flaw only when it has reliable evidence of it being exploited, and gave US federal agencies until 24 Mar 2022 to fix it.[1]

FIRST’s Exploit Prediction Scoring System, which estimates how likely a flaw is to be used in attacks in the next 30 days from what it sees across the internet, puts it at 5%. That’s in the top 8% of the flaws it scores.[4]

CISA assesses it as not automatable: each attack takes some work.

CISA doesn’t say who was attacked, or how.

Fix

Microsoft has published a fix or advice.[3] CISA’s required action: “Apply updates per vendor instructions.”[1]

  1. Update Microsoft Windows now.On Windows: Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates, then restart. Office updates come the same way, or from any Office app: File, Account, Update Options. Then turn on automatic updates, so the next fix arrives on its own.
  2. If there’s no update, stop using it.CISA’s advice when a flaw being used in attacks has no fix is to stop using the product until it does.

Timeline

DateEvent
The flaw is made public in the National Vulnerability Database, with a severity score of 7.8.[2]
CISA adds it to its catalog of flaws known to be used in attacks.[1]
CISA’s deadline for US government agencies to fix it.[1]
FIRST puts the odds of it being used in attacks in the next 30 days at 5%.[4]

See also

Other Microsoft Windows flaws

Other improper privilege management flaws

  • CVE-2026-102490, Zammad GmbH Zammad: improper privilege management ·
  • CVE-2026-84869, ConnectWise ScreenConnect: improper privilege management and missing authorization ·
  • CVE-2026-46817, Oracle E-Business Suite: improper privilege management ·
  • CVE-2024-8068, Citrix Session Recording: improper privilege management ·
  • CVE-2023-28434, MinIO: security feature bypass ·

Added the same day

  • CVE-2022-20708, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2022-20703, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2022-20701, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2022-20700, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·
  • CVE-2022-20699, Cisco Small Business RV160, RV260, RV340, and RV345 Series Routers: small business RV series routers stack-based buffer overflow ·

Every Microsoft flaw on CISA’s list · Everything added in March 2022

References

  1. ^ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. “Microsoft Windows Privilege Escalation Vulnerability”. Known Exploited Vulnerabilities Catalog, added 3 Mar 2022.
  2. ^ National Institute of Standards and Technology. “CVE-2002-0367 Detail”. National Vulnerability Database, published 25 Jun 2002.
  3. ^ Microsoft. Advisories and fixes: docs.microsoft.com.
  4. ^ FIRST. “Exploit Prediction Scoring System”. EPSS 0.049, percentile 92.1, 31 Oct 2026.
  5. CVE Program. “CVE-2002-0367”. The official CVE record.

This article is built from CISA’s catalog (version 2026.10.30), NVD’s record and FIRST’s scores, kept in HARD’s database and checked every morning. The plain English is HARD’s.