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Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability · CVE-2014-1812

Microsoft Windows Group Policy Preferences Password Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Published May 13, 2014 · catalog updated Jun 16, 2026 · Microsoft Windows

Patch now

CVE-2014-1812 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due May 3, 2022. Confirm Microsoft Windows against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Gaps on this record

  • No version range is stored. A customer cannot check an installed version against this record.
Severity
High8.8
Known exploitation
CISA KEV and VulnCheck KEV
EPSS
64.88%
Remediation
Remediation guidance
Affected products
cpe microsoft/windows 7 · cpe microsoft/windows 8 · cpe microsoft/windows 8.1 · cpe microsoft/windows server 2008 · cpe microsoft/windows server 2012 · vendor Microsoft Windows

The Group Policy implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 does not properly handle distribution of passwords, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive credential information and consequently gain privileges by leveraging access to the SYSVOL share, as exploited in the wild in May 2014, aka "Group Policy Preferences Password Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability."

Are you affected?

Enter the version you run. The result uses only the ranges stored on this record.

The check returns affected, not affected, or incomplete. It does not guess a version that is missing from the record.

  • cpe microsoft/windows 7version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 8version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows 8.1version unspecified
  • cpe microsoft/windows server 2008r2
  • cpe microsoft/windows server 2012r2
  • vendor Microsoft Windowsversion unspecified
  • vendor n/a n/aversion unspecified

How to fix CVE-2014-1812

What to do

Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.

Should you patch?

CVE-2014-1812 is in the CISA known-exploited catalog, due May 3, 2022. Confirm Microsoft Windows against the vendor advisory and apply that fix. The CVSS score does not change the priority.

Which versions are affected?

Compare what you have installed with microsoft/windows server 2008 r2; microsoft/windows server 2012 r2. Apply updates per vendor instructions.

What should an analyst verify?

CWE-255; CWE-522: Insufficiently Protected Credentials. EPSS 64.88%. The CISA KEV listing is the exploitation evidence. A public exploit reference is linked in Sources. That is not the same as confirmed exploitation. Use the source links for the original advisory.

Technology hubs

Windows security

Code

The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.

No public source repository is identified for this product.

Timeline

Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.

  1. May 14, 2014 · Catalog

    Detected

    The Group Policy implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 does not properly handle distribution of passwords, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive credential information and consequently gain privileges by leveraging access to the SYSVOL share, as exploited in

  2. Nov 3, 2021 · CISA KEV

    Known exploited

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  3. May 3, 2022 · CISA KEV

    Remediation due

    Apply updates per vendor instructions.

  4. Jun 16, 2026 · Catalog

    Updated

    The Group Policy implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 does not properly handle distribution of passwords, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sensitive credential information and consequently gain privileges by leveraging access to the SYSVOL share, as exploited in

Sources

  • CISA KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2014-1812

    Microsoft Windows Active Directory contains a privilege escalation vulnerability due to the way it distributes passwords that are configured using Group Policy preferences. An authenticated attacker who successfully exploits the vulnerability could decrypt the passwords and use them to elevate privileges on the domain.

    cisa.gov
  • CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2014-1812

    The Group Policy implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 does not properly handle distribution of passwords, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sen

    cve.org
  • FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2014-1812

    30-day exploitation probability 64.9%

    first.org
  • Metasploit ModulesPublic exploit moduleauxiliary_scanner/smb/smb_enum_gpp

    Public module reference (normal). Module source is not copied into this catalog.

    rapid7.com
  • NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2014-1812

    The Group Policy implementation in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 2008 SP2 and R2 SP1, Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows Server 2012 Gold and R2 does not properly handle distribution of passwords, which allows remote authenticated users to obtain sen

    nvd.nist.gov
  • VulnCheck KEVConfirmed exploitationCVE-2014-1812

    Microsoft Windows Active Directory contains a privilege escalation vulnerability due to the way it distributes passwords that are configured using Group Policy preferences. An authenticated attacker who successfully exploits the vulnerability could decrypt the passwords and use t

    vulncheck.com

References

Freshness

Last verified in this catalog Oct 17, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.