How severe is CVE-2015-2546?

CVE-2015-2546 has a CVSS score of 8.2/10, rated HIGH. Immediate patching is strongly recommended.

Which packages are affected by CVE-2015-2546?

Affected package information for CVE-2015-2546 is not yet fully mapped. Check the official advisory links for details.

How do I fix CVE-2015-2546?

No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2015-2546 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.

How do I detect CVE-2015-2546 in my code and dependencies?

Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).

How do I mitigate CVE-2015-2546 if there is no patch (or I can't update yet)?

Constrain what reaches the vulnerable code: limit the size and shape of untrusted input, isolate the affected component in a sandboxed or least-privileged process, and enable the platform's memory-safety mitigations (ASLR, stack protector, hardened allocator) so an out-of-bounds access is more likely to fail closed than to be exploitable.

Is CVE-2015-2546 actively exploited in the wild?

Yes. There are 4 known exploit references for CVE-2015-2546, including 3 in-the-wild exploitations observed on GitHub and other sources. Treat this as actively exploitable and prioritize patching immediately. All exploit code should only be run in an isolated sandbox environment for research or authorized testing — never against production systems without explicit written authorization.

What is the EPSS score for CVE-2015-2546?

CVE-2015-2546 has an EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System) score of 10.1%, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CVEs. EPSS is maintained by FIRST.org and estimates the probability that a vulnerability will be exploited in the wild within the next 30 days. This score warrants monitoring and prompt remediation.

Is CVE-2015-2546 in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog?

Yes. CVE-2015-2546 (Microsoft Win32k Memory Corruption Vulnerability) was added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog on 2022-03-15. CISA required all US federal civilian agencies to remediate this vulnerability by 2022-04-05. The required action was: Apply updates per vendor instructions. This CVE has been used in known ransomware campaigns. Being listed in the KEV catalog is the strongest possible confirmation of active exploitation — treat this as a critical priority.

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2015-2546?

CVE-2015-2546 is classified as Buffer Overflow (CWE-119). This weakness type describe the underlying flaw category, which helps determine the potential impact and the right class of mitigation. This is a high-impact weakness class that often enables remote code execution or data exposure.

When was CVE-2015-2546 published, and has it been updated?

CVE-2015-2546 was published on September 9, 2015 and was last updated on August 14, 2026. Advisory data evolves as severity scores, affected ranges, and exploit intelligence are revised — always check the latest version of the advisory before acting.

🛡️

CISA KEV · ACTIVELY EXPLOITED

HIGH severity

CVE-2015-2546 — Microsoft

HIGH

CVE-2015-2546 is a high-severity (CVSS 8.2) Buffer Overflow vulnerability. It is in CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog (added 2022-03-15) and has been used in ransomware campaigns — treat it as actively exploited and patch now. No vendor fix is recorded yet; mitigation options are listed below.

The kernel-mode driver 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…

Published

Sep 9, 2015

Updated

Aug 14, 2026

Affected

9 products

Patched

See advisory

Exploits

4 known

Exploitation data as of Oct 22, 2026 · OSV.dev, NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org (EPSS)

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

Confirmed by CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on 2022-03-15 — including use in ransomware campaigns. Federal agencies were required to remediate by 2022-04-05.
A successful exploit gives an attacker total control of the affected component, not partial access.

Exploitation and automatability from CISA (KEV catalog and SSVC triage) for CVE-2015-2546.

EPSS Exploitation Probability

via FIRST.org ↗

10.1%probability of exploitation in next 30 days

Moderate Risk0.00%

Lower risk than most CVEs96th percentile — riskier than 96% of all scored CVEsHighest risk

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days, from FIRST.org EPSS.

How urgent is this, really

CVE-2015-2546 by exploitation likelihood (EPSS) against impact (CVSS). Outside the shaded patch-first corner.

Where this sits among everything scored

Of 395,249 CVEs with a current EPSS score, this one falls in the 10–50% band (highlighted). Counts from FIRST.org, log-scaled.

Description

The kernel-mode driver 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 allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted application, aka "Win32k Memory Corruption Elevation of Privilege Vulnerability," a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-2511, CVE-2015-2517, and CVE-2015-2518.

Affected Products

9 products · 12 configurations

windows 7microsoft

all

windows 8microsoft

all

windows 8.1microsoft

all

windows 10 1507microsoft

all

windows rtmicrosoft

all

windows rt 8.1microsoft

all

Exploits & PoCs

Research use only. For defensive security, authorized penetration testing, and academic research only. Never execute exploit code against systems without explicit written authorization.

The kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 20…

docs.microsoft.comGoogle-sheetSep 2015

The kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 20…

github.comGithubMay 2017

The kernel-mode driver in Microsoft Windows Vista SP2, Windows Server 20…

cisa.govCISAMar 2022

Detection & mitigation playbook

Vulnerability

Detect
Identify every host running the affected component and compare the installed build against the fixed version below — for source-built or distro-packaged software the version string, not a lockfile, is the source of truth (`dpkg -l`, `rpm -q`, or the binary's own `--version`).
Remediation status
No fixed release is recorded for CVE-2015-2546 yet. Track the upstream advisory, and apply the exposure-reduction steps below in the meantime.
Mitigate without a patch
Constrain what reaches the vulnerable code: limit the size and shape of untrusted input, isolate the affected component in a sandboxed or least-privileged process, and enable the platform's memory-safety mitigations (ASLR, stack protector, hardened allocator) so an out-of-bounds access is more likely to fail closed than to be exploitable.

Frequently Asked Questions

O3 Security · Impact-Aware SCA

Is CVE-2015-2546 in your dependencies?

Find it across , including transitive dependencies.

Scan my dependencies How O3 SCA works

CVSS Score

8.2/10CVSS v3 base

Vector breakdown

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

Required

Scope

Changed

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Raw vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:R/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE Classification

CWE-119Buffer Overflow

Weaponization

No known public exploit tooling found.

Timeline

First exploit

Sep 8, 2015

Disclosed

Sep 9, 2015

KEV added

Mar 15, 2022

Last updated

Aug 14, 2026

Identifiers

CVE-2015-2546

References

Advisorydocs.microsoft.com Websecuritytracker.com Websecurityfocus.com Webcisa.gov

Related vulnerabilities

This CVE is high severity; 6 of 8 other CVEs with CWE-119 are rated as high or higher (top: high).

GHSA-qwgh-2vcv-g2f7CVE-2026-54559CVE-2022-46292CVE-2022-46293CVE-2025-10997CVE-2022-43467CVE-2022-46295CVE-2022-46291Browse all CWE-119

Provenance

Sources

OSV.devNVDCISA KEVFIRST.org (EPSS)

Last verifiedAug 14, 2026

CVE-2015-2546 — Microsoft

Exploitation Status

Actively exploited in the wild

EPSS Exploitation Probability

How urgent is this, really

Where this sits among everything scored

Description

Affected Products

Detection & mitigation playbook

Detect

Remediation status

Mitigate without a patch

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CVE-2015-2546 in your dependencies?