CVE-2024-29988 Microsoft SmartScreen Prompt: security feature bypass
In plain words: A built-in safety check — like a warning before opening a downloaded file — can be skipped. Makes other attacks, like malicious downloads, work without the usual warning.
Confirmed exploited by CISA on · US federal patch deadline May 21, 2024
What to do
- Install Microsoft's security update for SmartScreen Prompt. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships.
- Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
- Patch anything in this catalog first, ahead of normal patch cycles.
- Put admin and file-transfer apps behind a VPN or single sign-on instead of the open internet.
Who is affected
Work IT. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.
What's at risk: Mass data theft and ransomware: a single flaw in a file-transfer or email server has exposed thousands of organisations at once.
The details
- Official name
- Microsoft SmartScreen Prompt Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability
- Product
- Microsoft SmartScreen Prompt
- CISA description
- Microsoft SmartScreen Prompt contains a security feature bypass vulnerability that allows an attacker to bypass the Mark of the Web (MotW) feature. This vulnerability can be chained with CVE-2023-38831 and CVE-2024-21412 to execute a malicious file.
- Type of flaw
- Security feature bypass (CWE-693)
- Confirmed exploited
- Apr 30, 2024
- US federal patch deadline
- May 21, 2024
Ask Cleus about it
Ask about a vulnerability, an update, a weird message, or the news. Plain-word answers, free, no account.
Answering about CVE-2024-29988 ·
Questions about CVE-2024-29988
Is CVE-2024-29988 being exploited?
Yes. CISA added CVE-2024-29988 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Apr 30, 2024, which means there is reliable evidence of real-world attacks.
How do I fix CVE-2024-29988?
Install Microsoft's security update for SmartScreen Prompt. If no update exists, follow the vendor's workaround or stop using the product until one ships. Keep a list of every internet-facing server you run so nothing is forgotten.
Am I affected by CVE-2024-29988?
Only if you use Microsoft SmartScreen Prompt. Aimed mostly at company systems — you are affected through the companies you use, not your own phone.