Microsoft has released security updates for 60 vulnerabilities in its March 2024 Patch Tuesday rollout. There are two Critical vulnerabilities patched (CVE-2024-21407 and CVE-2024-21408), both of which affect the Hyper-V hypervisor.
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March 2024 Risk Analysis
This month’s leading risk type is elevation of privilege (40%) followed by remote code execution (30%) and a tie between denial of service (10%) and information disclosure (10%).
Figure 1. Breakdown of March 2024 Patch Tuesday attack types
Windows products received the most patches this month with 41, followed by Extended Security Update (ESU) with 28 and Azure with 6.
Figure 2. Breakdown of product families affected by March 2024 Patch Tuesday
Critical Vulnerabilities Affect Windows Hyper-V
CVE-2024-21407 is a Critical remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows Hyper-V and has a CVSS score of 8.1. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability would allow the attacker to launch code execution on the host server from a Hyper-V guest. This vulnerability would require the attacker to be authenticated on a guest virtual machine and then send specially crafted operation requests aimed at the host. Successful exploitation requires a high level of attack complexity, but can result in code execution on the server and should be patched without delay.
CVE-2024-21408 is a Critical denial of service (DoS) vulnerability affecting Microsoft Windows Hyper-V and has a CVSS score of 5.5. Successful exploitation of this vulnerability allows an attacker to target a Hyper-V guest virtual machine, which can affect the functionality of the Hyper-V host. Because this is a local DoS attack, Microsoft deems exploitation less likely.
| Severity | CVSS Score | CVE | Description |
| Critical | 8.1 | CVE-2024-21407 | Windows Hyper-V Remote Code Execution Vulnerability |
| Critical | 5.5 | CVE-2024-21408 | Windows Hyper-V Denial of Service Vulnerability |
Table 1. Critical vulnerabilities in Windows Hyper-V
Not All Relevant Vulnerabilities Have Patches: Consider Mitigation Strategies
As we have learned with other notable vulnerabilities, such as Log4j, not every highly exploitable vulnerability can be easily patched. As is the case for the ProxyNotShell vulnerabilities, it’s critically important to develop a response plan for how to defend your environments when no patching protocol exists.
Regular review of your patching strategy should still be a part of your program, but you should also look more holistically at your organization’s methods for cybersecurity and improve your overall security posture.
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Learn more about how CrowdStrike Falcon® Exposure Management can help you quickly and easily discover and prioritize vulnerabilities and other types of exposures here.
About CVSS Scores
The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) is a free and open industry standard that CrowdStrike and many other cybersecurity organizations use to assess and communicate software vulnerabilities’ severity and characteristics. The CVSS Base Score ranges from 0.0 to 10.0, and the National Vulnerability Database (NVD) adds a severity rating for CVSS scores. Learn more about vulnerability scoring in this article.
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